Crossfire
by DarkElements10
Summary: SEQUEL TO FLASH FIRE. After defeating the Suicide Squad Barry turns to face the Man in Yellow. Add in the Rogues and a mysterious BlackFlash and Barry is struggling to keep ahead of the chaos. Cadence is caught in the crossfire of resentment and revenge. Her only option to fall back to her old ways; she may betray Barry again. -S1- Barry/OC slowburn. SEQUEL UP: Fuel to the Fire.
1. Welcome Back to Central City

**Crossfire**

 **By: Riley**

 **Full Summary** **–** [Sequel to Flash Fire]. After the fall of the Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau, Barry turns his sights back to the Man in Yellow whose identity is heavily guarded. Add in the return of the Rogues and a mysterious Black Flash and Barry finds himself struggling to keep ahead of the chaos. Back from Metropolis, Cadence has a newfound appreciation of her life and her friends in Central City while furthering control of her powers. But she soon becomes caught in the crossfire of deep-seeded resentment and revenge with her only option being to turn to a point in her life she never wanted to return. It's only a matter of time until everything comes to a head. Every revolution begins with a spark.

R **ated T** : For language, violence, and mature themes

 **Pairings** : Barry/OC slow burn, SnowWells, SnowStorm, WestThawne

Some one-sided WestAllen, some Roy/OC

 **Warnings** : Some heavy, goreish violence and mature content

* * *

 **.:1:.**

* * *

"Momma, are we there yet?"

Cadence Nash smiled into the rearview mirror and watched as Brady lifted his head, rubbing at his eyes. "We're almost in Central City. Don't worry." Her son let out a light yawn, barely nodding before he drifted off once more. Hand over hand; the fire metahuman turned the steering wheel, driving closer to their apartment. There was a brief moment of silence until light snoring filled the car once more.

"Wow, the little guy can really sleep can't he?" The young man sitting in the passenger seat remarked, twisting around to watch Brady. He turned his attention back to Cadence, smoothing his blond hair off his forehead. "I think he's slept the whole way back."

"Thankfully I had the foresight to let him stay up as long as he wanted," Cadence said with a light tilt of her head. "I don't think I could take another round of his constant questions." She shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I love that he's so inquisitive. But there's only so much I can take sometimes, you know?"

"I'll take your word for it."

The unspoken tension that had surrounded the trio since they left Metropolis that morning immediately rose. It was late in the afternoon, almost dusk and they had managed to hold off on the conversation topic nearly all day. She should've known it was going to come up at some point or another, shame on her for wishful thinking. "Please, don't be like that, Ryder, I'm trying my best."

Ryder Moseley drummed his hands on his thighs as he sighed impatiently. He lowered his voice as he spoke, making sure Brady couldn't hear. "I just don't understand why you didn't introduce me to Brady as his father when you knew I'm going to be in Central City for a while. I have a big client who wants me there to oversee the entire project." He tugged at the neck of his flannel shirt and turned towards the fire metahuman, waiting for her response.

He received a light snort and a raised eyebrow in response. "I'm sorry, I was little blindsided by the fact that my Mom thought it was a good idea to _not_ mention you were going to be carpooling with us until we were about to leave."

At the mention of her mother, Maya Nash, Cadence shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Going back to Metropolis to confront her parents had been nothing short of hard. As a matter of fact, many times on the way up she had contemplated turning the car around and going back to Central City. But her parents had been excited to know she was going and Brady could barely sit still at the mention of seeing his grandparents again. But there was so much she needed to get off her chest; how they had kicked her out, how they had wanted to take Brady from her as they didn't believe she could handle being a teen mom, how she now knew that Wells was her real father and they had kept that from her…a lot of stuff. She could admit she had blindsided them having waited until after dessert the first day to tell them she knew that they weren't her real parents. They had reacted as she expected them to, first with shock, then curious as to how she figured it out, then with guilt. And Cadence had explained everything she could about coming into contact with Dr. Wells, without mentioning anything about the rest of STAR Labs and fighting metahumans. They already knew her abilities; they didn't need to know how much danger she put herself and Brady in. Not when it was going to give them the opportunity to try and talk her into leaving him in Metropolis again.

But compared to everything else, that was a blip on the radar of what her life had become. Her life in Central City had been relatively normal until she met Barry Allen, until she _had_ to meet Barry Allen and everything went to hell. She had thought meeting him, meeting another metahuman made things easier. She could finally be herself and that had worked well, too as the man who got struck by lightning slowly figured out his own powers. But then it had come to light that she was working with the Assassination Bureau, whom had been using her to get to Barry to get to Dr. Wells because he was the one that had created the Particle Accelerator, and wanted to kill him to steal his resources. However they also worked along with the Suicide Squad, which made them strong to the point that she and Bary needed help from Team Arrow to defeat them. Thankfully the team-up of Team Flash and Team Arrow had succeeded, but not before Breathtaker, the head of the Assassintaion Bureau, had managed to do massive amounts of damage to Central City. The only way it could be reversed and all of the residents to forget was by getting Breathtaker to reverse things as well as erase the minds of everyone other than Team Flash and Team Arrow. But in return he was released with the rest of the Assassination Bureau and the Suicide Squad.

Of course that was something she wasn't going to forget, but her anxiety around Ryder was starting to become commonplace.

"I can understand that," Ryder agreed. "But she's just trying to help. I mean, if it weren't for _my_ Mom and Dad I'd at least think we were still friends."

That had been another can of worms. Being back in a city where everyone knew her business before she left had been strange. While they still didn't know about her abilities or her friends in Central City, which had been more of a blessing than she thought it would be, seeing the double-takes that arose whenever she and Brady walked by had been enough for her to want to turn tail and hold up in her home.

But then she remembered everything she and the rest of STAR Labs had managed to accomplish a few months before, and was filled with confidence once more. Enough so that despite seeing Ryder walk through the front door of her home hadn't thrown her off as much as she thought it would. It truly hadn't been his fault, she remembered, that he hadn't been around. His parents had kept him back, even had him transferred to a prestigious boarding school shortly after the news of her pregnancy broke.

She still remembered how he had told her; in the foyer of her house with his parents flanking his sides. She stood in front of him, her excitement to see that he was coming over quickly diminishing when she caught a glimpse of his face. His gaze was lowered to his feet and he spoke quietly, almost robotically as he said, "I'm leaving."

Cadence's face had screwed up as she placed her hands on her hips, painfully aware of how strange the gesture would soon become as her stomach continued to increase in size. "What do you mean you're leaving?"

"Ryder's application to the prestigious Webb School of California for Boys has been graciously accepted," Mrs. Moseley said with a tight smile, reaching out and resting her hand on Ryder's shoulder. His head lowered even further. "We have been trying for years for him to get into the school, especially as his grandfather's legacy is something that is highly spoken of, and we're excited that he will be starting there next month."

Eyebrows furrowing together, Cadence looked back and forth from Mr. and Mrs. Moseley, noticing the snide inflection in Mrs. Moseley's tone as she spoke. It had been something the wealthy woman always seemed to have, though seldom used in regards to Cadence. She had routinely turned a warm glance her way. Now it was filled with barely concealed disdain as she glanced towards the teenage girl's stomach which only barely began to show.

"We hope you understand that despite the circumstances, this is an opportunity that Ryder really can't pass up," Mr. Moseley continued. "This is something that will open many doors for him."

"And having a kid will keep him here, right?" Cadence snapped, her temper already starting to flare. She wasn't stupid; she knew exactly what they were doing. And the fact that her parents were staying silent behind her, she couldn't take. Glaring, she rounded on her now ex-boyfriend. "Is this what you want, too?"

Eyes still downcast, he glanced over at his parents from under his fringe, licking his lips. She recognized his nervous habit just as much as he cracked his fingers when he was angry. Then he took a step towards Cadence and started to reach out for her hand, but she pulled it back. "No," he said under his breath, hoping his parents wouldn't her him. "You know I want to be here for the baby. For us. You know how excited I was when you first told me."

"But Ryder has agreed that it's something he can't pass up and will be leaving for California tomorrow so that he can be settled in before his term starts."

Cadence whirled around on Mr. and Mrs. Moseley and started to say something, but her father reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders. She looked up towards him and he shook his head at her before leaning over towards Mr. Moseley and held out his hand. "We're very excited for the opportunity that Ryder has and we wish him all the best."

Nodding in agreement, Maya clasped her hands together in front of her. "We'd be glad to help you in any way we can—"

"—I'm sure we can handle it, but thank you for the offer." Mr. Moseley cleared his throat before looking at his watch. "Ryder, please say goodbye to Cadence so we can get going." Cadence glared at him and opened her mouth to say something but lowered her head, knowing it wasn't going to help. She didn't know what hurt worse, knowing she was the reason he was being sent away or not being able to say anything about it.

No, it was knowing that loving her boyfriend, who had also decided to take that step in their relationship, had caused her to be the catalyst that 'ruined his life' and her parents weren't doing anything to defend her. The fire metahuman kept her head bowed as Ryder walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her in a light hug. She didn't hug him back; she didn't have the emotional strength, no matter how much she wanted him to stay.

"I love you, Cadey," he whispered into her ear. "I'm sorry." He let go and backed away with one last meaningful glance before turning on his heel and following his parents out of the Nashes' house.

She tried to block that memory out as best she could, to leave everything behind her as she went on to Central City but it popped back up whenever she felt her most vulnerable. After sitting in a car for a couple of hours with him where they avoided he topic like the plague, she was surprised they managed to stay quiet for so long.

"Well…I don't feel like killing you so there's that." Cadence smiled as Ryder laughed causing the fire metahuman to laugh along with him. She pulled up to the curb and turned off the car. Cadence got out of the front seat and turned to Ryder. Crossing her arms, she rested them on the hood of the car. "Are you sure you don't want me to drop you off at your hotel?"

"Nah, you've already driven this far, I can take the bus," Ryder replied. He closed the passenger door and shoved his hands into his pockets. There was a brief pause between them. "I heard you're going back into residency after taking some time off. That's great."

"Yeah, I had some things I had to deal with…"—if you counted a metahuman uprising that threatened the city as things to deal with—"some things I'm still working on." Then her mind shifted towards her friends at STAR Labs; Barry and Caitlin and Cisco and Wells…how she was dealing with all of the revelations that had driven her to return to Metropolis after years away. Before she left they said they were there to help her whenever she needed it, she knew they were being sincere. "But I've gotten some more help now so I think I'll be able to do it."

"I think so, too. You've wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember. All of the times you used me as your guinea pig was enough of a hint."

"You're still freaked out about the whole ingrown hair incident aren't you?"

"There are many things that neither a man, nor a woman, need to see." Ryder smiled and looked at his watch. "I have to get going or I'm going to miss check in." He turned towards the backset and noticed that Brady was still fast asleep. Noticing his gaze, Cadence went around to the back passenger seat of the car and opened it. She reached in an unbuckled Brady from his seat and picked him up, balancing him against her hip as she backed out of the car. Ryder reached in and pulled his duffle bag out of the backseat. Cadence caught a glimpse of the hurt in his eyes, but he masked it in seconds. "I guess I'll see you guys around, then."

"Yeah," Cadence agreed with a light nod. "It was good to see you, Ryder."

"It was good to see you, too, Cadence," Ryder replied.

He placed his duffle bag over his shoulder before turning and walking down the street to the bus stop. Locking her car, she went into the apartment building, being careful not to jostle Brady as she went. He continued to sleep soundly, cheek resting on her shoulder as she gathered their mail then headed up the stairwell. Once she was sure they were alone, she teleported into their apartment and walked Brady to his room. She tucked him in then teleported to her own room, falling onto her bed with a sigh.

She was asleep in a matter of minutes, knowing that while things in Metropolis had been calm, Central City was just about to wake up.

* * *

Absentmindedly, Barry Allen reached out and grabbed onto the packet of fries that sat beside him. Titling his head back, he dumped them out into his mouth before tossing the box aside and dusting off his hands. He turned back to the papers that sat on his desk and looked around before using his enhanced speed to flip through them, finishing up the paperwork of the last few cases that he and the rest of the CCPD had finished. When he was done, seconds later, he set the papers aside then used his super speed to clear away the trash that accumulated around his desk.

"I saw that."

Holding his breath, Barry whipped around before releasing it, finding Detective Joe West standing behind him with his hands on his hips. Now Barry's shoulders relaxed before he turned to Joe with a light roll of his eyes. "Are you trying to give me whiplash? I'm sure with my super speed it'll be much worse and my healing won't be able to fix it."

"I'm not the one that gallivants around my personal office with no care in the world," Joe pointed out. He walked over to the trash can and glanced inside then turned back to Barry with an expression of childish disbelief. "You didn't leave my any fries?"

"Unbelievable," Barry declared. He crossed his arms. "You have Big Belly Burger in your possession and people come flocking. You know Iris got that from you, right?" He then waved his arms up and down his body. "And hello? I need the calories."

"I thought that's why Cisco made those metahuman bars for you."

"And they're very filling but they don't taste as good as Big Belly Burger." Barry held up a finger. "Or cronuts, surprisingly." Joe laughed and shook his head, realizing that his daughter had indeed managed to get his foster son hooked onto the breakfast snack. "So what brings you up here? Don't you have some big case that you need to work on or avoid Captain Singh and his odd demands?"

"No, I think you're the only one that Captain Singh has a target for," Joe pointed out, causing the Flash to bob his head back and forth in agreement. Things hadn't really been smoothed over between his boss since his fiasco of being whammied. Now Barry tried to avoid him as much as he ever had. "No, I came up here to tell you to go home. You've been working overtime these past few weeks and I don't just mean here. You've been at STAR Labs a lot lately."

"Yeah, well, without Cade's help we've been doubling up on patrolling," Barry replied with a light shrug. "With all of the metas…" he trailed off, remembered that no one in the city apart from himself, Caitlin, Cisco, and Harrison remembered the massive metahuman uprising that had occurred within the city.

It was hard enough having to fend off the Assassination Bureau as it was the Suicide Squad helping them. But the riots that had befallen upon the city and the—miraculously little—damage that had accompanied it was something no one remembered. It had been part of Breathtaker's capture, he had to use his powers to create an illusion to those in Central City that nothing had gone on whilst Barry and Cadence moved as quickly as they could to clean up the mess. No one could know what happened before, not when they had managed to drive the Assassination Bureau out of the city.

"With all of the metas that are bound to come around, we thought it'd be a good idea to make sure we're checking things out as much as possible. Not to mention helping out the police every now and then." Barry cleared his throat as Joe gave him a pointed look. "And I've been working hard with Dr. Wells, to get faster and have been doing a lot of training."

"Well, you should make sure that you schedule some sleep in there sometime," Joe pointed out. He looked at his watch. "You shift is over for the day, so you're free to go." Barry nodded and Joe turned on his heel to leave the room. "Don't forget this weekend we're going on our annual Christmas shopping trip."

Barry groaned lightly. "Where Iris goes crazy buying everything in sight and you and I are dragged along with her. I don't know if you noticed, Joe, but Santa doesn't like it when I sit on his lap." He grinned as Joe burst out laughing.

"Yeah, well, I don't know anyone that would be so happy with _me_ sitting on their lap either. Tell everyone at STAR Labs that I say 'hi'."

"You got it."

Barry barely lifted his hand into a thumbs up before he zipped out of the CCPD and arrived at STAR Labs. He arrived at Level 600 and walked into the cortex, finding Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon in a heated discussion. He laughed lightly as he approached, hearing the conversation topic. "So you're telling me that if you had the chance to know how the rest of your life is going to play out, you wouldn't take it?" Cisco tilted his head as he gazed at Caitlin with a raised eyebrow. "Seriously?"

The bioengineer shrugged, leaning back in her seat and crossing her legs at the knee. "I'm just saying that there is a reason why there is a saying such as 'ignorance' is bliss'." At Cisco's snort she lifted a hand before dropping it back down to her thigh. "Don't you think that if you could see into the future, if you could see how your life is going to end up, that you wouldn't be the best person you can be anymore? You'll sit back and wait for everything to happen to you because it's supposed to rather than working hard for those achievements."

"Uh, no," Cisco denied. "If I could see into the future and saw who I was going to marry, I'd find her in a millisecond and make her fall in love with me that much faster. You don't get many chances to fall in love, my friend, especially not when you're me. And if I can figure out who it is, I'm good to go."

"That's an interesting sentiment Cisco, Caitlin, but you're forgetting one very simple thing that will make both of your points moot," Harrison said. He regarded the two with a smile, his blue eyes lighting up behind his glasses. "None of us have the ability to see into the future." As if knowing Barry was there the entire time, he didn't turn his head as he called, "Good afternoon, Mr. Allen."

Barry laughed and walked up to his friends, reaching out and resting his palms on the table, leaning forward a little as he gazed at his friends. "Is this what you guys do when I'm not around? You sit and talk about some of the most random things while you wait for me to get back? Your lives must be very boring without me."

"Barry, have we ever talked to you about your ego?" Caitlin said and the two smiled at each other. "How was work at the CCPD? Anything interesting come up?"

"If by 'interesting' you mean any crimes or metahumans needed to catch? No." Barry pulled the closest chair to him and sat down, crossing his legs as well. "I've just been doing a lot of paperwork today and let me tell you. That gets even more tedious when you have the ability to do them in a faction of the time it used to take."

"Well, not everyone has the ability to go through life in a matter of seconds," Cisco said. He turned back to his computer, bringing up a game of World of Warcraft, ignoring Harrison's disapproving glance. "It must be pretty boring to have so much time in the day to do whatever you want because you can do it so quickly."

"I don't know." Barry stretched his arms over his head before interlocking his fingers and resting his hands on his head. "I still have to wait for the next episode of the Walking Dead to come out. I didn't realize that a week was a long time until I got these powers. Now it's just torture." Laughter filled STAR Labs as Team Flash reveled in the few moments they had where nothing was going on in Central City. They were laughing so much they didn't hear another set of footsteps approaching their group.

"What's so funny?" Brady asked as he turned the corner and came into view.

Barry, Cisco, Caitlin, and Harrison turned around to face Cadence and Brady, all expressing sounds of surprise and excitement to see their friend. "Hey," Caitlin greeted, being the first one to get out of her seat, hurrying over to her best girl friend. "It's so good to see you!" She grabbed onto Cadence and the two hugged each other tightly, rocking back and forth.

"It's good to see you, too," Cadence replied, hugging her just as tightly.

"How was Metropolis?"

"Just as I remembered it and I'll leave it at that. I'm glad to be back." Cadence gave the bioengineer a knowing smile as they ended their hug. "Something told me that all of the testosterone around here was starting to get to you." She laughed when Caitlin shook her head, giving her a look that said 'you have no idea. The fire metahuman then turned to Cisco. "Hey Cisco! Have you been keeping my suit safe?"

"Yes!" He replied. "I even upgraded the functions of it. Let me tell you, I had to hold myself back from installing some of the same component that Barry's suit has, because I'm not sure how it'll look on yours; but I'm excited to get started now that you're here."

"Sounds good."

Brady reached the speedy metahuman first, wrapping his arms around Barry's waist. "Hey Brady, how's it going?" Barry leaned over and wrapped his arms around the young boy, rubbing his back. "Did you take good care of your Mom back in Metropolis?"

"Yeah," Brady replied. He titled his head back and smiled at the young man. "My Gramma and PaPa were really happy to see me. They gave me a new Nintendo DS." He took a step back, allowing his mother some space to give her friend a hug. "But I missed Central City. I like it here."

"That's good." Barry laughed and ruffled his hair before opening his arms for Cadence. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug. "Hey Cade. It's good to have you back. Central City was really quiet without you around."

"Why? Because I didn't talk as much?" Her voice was muffled around his neck, but he heard her all the same.

"No, because I missed you." Barry squeezed her again before he let go and took a step back, crossing his arms as he looked at her. "Congratulations, though, your name made it to Iris's blog. Looks like I have a sidekick."

"I missed you, too, Tholy." Cadence then reached out and lightly shoved him on the arm. Though they missed each other, as friends would do when apart for a while, they knew there was still the question of loyalty between them. The question that would probably take more time to be answered. "And don't think I didn't hear your sidekick remark. I'm no one's sidekick; this is an equal operation, especially because I've been a metahuman longer than you have."

Barry smiled and nodded, watching as Cadence turned to Harrison, who had been quiet throughout the whole exchange. He wasn't sure how things were between the two of them. Before she left she had said that she was willing to work on a relationship with him, but Harrison Wells always kept his private life as private as he could. He didn't know if they had spoken since she had left. His questions were answered as Cadence walked over to Harrison and leaned down to give him a hug.

"Hi, Harrison."

Harrison smiled and nodded as she pulled back. "It's good to see you, Cadence." He gently grasped his daughter's wrist before allowing her to pull back a little. "I'm glad you and Brady made it to Central City, safely."

"Well, it seems like Central and Starling City are the only places where crime and weird things are rampant. Nothing really happened in Metropolis that Superman couldn't handle and I haven't heard anything from Smallville in a while, anyway." The fire metahuman placed her hands on her hips, letting out a light sigh. "I'm glad to be back. It was just too quiet there."

All of a sudden there was a beeping sound that came out form Cisco's computer and he turned to lower his computer game. Scanning the screen for a moment, he turned back to the metahumans. "It looks like there's been a carjacking downtown. Five suspects with three fleeing on foot and two in the car." He turned around and grinned at Barry and Cadence. "Looks like things are going to be pretty noisy around here."

"Speak of the devil." Barry rubbed his hands together before smiling towards Cadence once more. "Welcome back to Central City, Cade."

Cadence grinned. "It's good to be back, Barry."

* * *

Overlooking the city, two lone figures sat along the edge of one of the tallest buildings. The one on the left watched intently, steel blue eyes trained on the fight going on below. His eyes zipped back and forth every few seconds as he watched a jolt of yellow light shifting around to catch a speeding car. As he sat there, he would lift his hand up and wave the smoke that wafted towards him out of his face, ignoring the sting it brought to his eyes.

He could risk looking away. He had to study his enemy.

To his left, creating the smoke was an even bigger man, who passed the time of their stakeout by striking matches and watching it burn down to his fingertips. It burned, it stung, and yet he enjoyed the pain brought upon him in a masochistic way. Pain was pleasure. Once the fire reached his hand he would wave the match until it went out and watched the smoke dancing and swirling through the sky. Then, as if discarding a wad of gum, he flicked the match over the side of the building and to the ground before striking up another one.

His attention was only brought towards the ground when the sight of a familiar glow caught his attention; the sight of flames appearing out of nowhere. And he was mesmerized, watching the flames roll around and dance in the frantic manner it always had, a large grin on his face.

The man on the left—Leonard Snart—slowly turned a smirk over towards his companion—Mick Rory—finding him to be as enthralled as he was.

It would be too easy.

* * *

 **A/N:** I had originally wanted to start off the story with Cade in Metropolis with her parents and Barry in Central City, but decided to change it. But you _will_ see what happened with Cadence's time back in Metropolis as the story goes on; especially her confrontation with them, their reaction to her knowing about Wells, etc.

Anyway, wooohooo! Second story. I want to than everyone again for reading/reviewing/alerting the last story. I had a blast when writing it and I'm already really freaking excited to get started on this one. I always have a lot of ideas written out for the tail end episodes of the season, but I also have some original stuff (like I had done with Flash Fire) that I'm excited to bring up as well. I hope you guys liked this chapter, please tell me what you think. Constructive Criticism is always welcome.

Also, if you haven't heard the news, my sisters and I will be writing a crossover story called _Flashpoint_ really soon. So if you want to stay up to date on the story when that comes out (on the Crystal Manning profile) you need to read my sisters' stories _In a Flash_ (on this account) and _The Mark of Sage_ (on Crystal Manning) as well as my first story _Flash Fire_ for some things to make sense.

Last note; for those wondering, the faceclaim for Ryder Moseley is Alex Pettyfer.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	2. Strange Attitudes

**.:2:.**

* * *

Caitlin looked over her shoulder as she stepped out of her car. Though she had parked far enough away from the house, thankful there was enough distance between the houses that she wouldn't be questioned for the decision. Nevertheless, she was half expecting Barry to arrive at her side, blowing her tresses back as it always did, wondering what she was doing out there. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she was grateful that Cisco didn't have those sorts of powers, or else he would've made a big deal about it.

And it wasn't a big deal.

Not really.

Not to her now that she knew the truth…and was so very good at lying to herself. But she's had a couple of weeks to understand what everything meant and…

She shook her head, brushing the thoughts away. That wasn't what was important at the moment. Nothing else was important. She already got the explanations she needed and that was enough for her to continue to help. It was going to help all of them in the long run so it wasn't a big deal. _Keep telling yourself that, Caitlin. Keep telling yourself that and soon you may start to believe it._ Brushing her hair back behind her ears, the bioengineer began the moderately long walk up to the house. She made it in record time, the sounds of her footsteps along the road making her nervous. There was always something about the sound of lonely footsteps that freaked her out, even when she was watching a movie. That in itself made her quicken her pace until she was at the front door, ringing the doorbell. She looked around as she caught the unmistakeable scent of smoke, but as quickly as it came, it went.

The doors to the home opened and Harrison wheeled towards her, his head tilted to the side and bright blue eyes falling directly upon her. "Miss. Snow, I didn't expect you to get here so quickly," he remarked. "As a matter of fact I believed it would take you twice the time to arrive." He looked at his watch then rested his hand upon the control stick of his wheelchair. "No matter, please come in. There are some things I'd like to discuss with you."

"That's what I'm here for," she said and slowly followed him into the house, looking around behind her as she did so. Once the doors closed behind her, she pulled off her jacket and folded it over her arm before turning to the closet beside her. Flicking on the light she picked up a hangar and placed her coat upon it then left the room.

She walked into the spacious room in front of her, her footsteps being the only sound she heard. But, this time around, the sound didn't worry her as much as it had when she was outside. Now, she felt safe. She stepped down a small area of steps and stretched out her hand, taking the glass of champagne that Harrison held out towards her. Once he took it, he slowly stood up, bringing himself to his full height and moved the wheelchair away from him. He then walked over to the grand piano that sat in the corner of the room and picked up the other glass of champagne that had been placed out. He swished it around in his glass and took a sip before turning back towards her his arm outstretched. Caitlin smiled as she clinked the side of her glass with his, then it widened as he leaned down close to her. She took a step forward and leaned into him as he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

With her free hand, Caitlin held onto the front of his black dress shirt and pulled him closer to her as they kissed again, this time a hardened kiss that caused him to bring his hand free hand up and snake into her hair, holding her against him. They continued to kiss until the need for air was too great and Caitlin pulled back away from him. His eye caught hers and he smiled, his eyebrows twitching upwards almost as if he were laughing at her. He then brought his glass of champagne to his mouth and quickly downed it in one gulp.

"I don't think that's good for you," Caitlin remarked as she took little sips from her own glass. She took a couple steps back and looked around the nearly empty room. Tilting her head back, she looked up through the windows and watched as a couple of birds flew by, the sun streaming down upon her. Closing her eyes for a moment, she bathed herself in the light before turning back towards him.

"Please." He made a show of tossing the glass over his shoulder and stood still for a few moments before he zipped to the other side of the room and caught it in mid-air. "One thing I can say for sure is being unable to get drunk is probably one of the worst things that's managed to come from what I can do. There have been plenty of things I've wanted to forget or use as an excuse not to go to work but that's just me." He twirled the glass around his hand, his eyes on Caitlin as she watched the spinning glass. Then he tore his gaze away from her and his eyes dipped over her body. "That dress is a little to…against dress code don't you think?"

A blush tingeing her cheeks, Caitlin looked down at the dress she had chosen to wear that day. It had been the one Cadence, Iris, and Felicity had picked out for her when they had been shopping the day Harley Quinn had attacked them. Despite how much she liked the way she looked in it—and she did—the way he looked at her made her a bit more bashful than she anticipated. In a good way.

"For STAR Labs, maybe," she replied. "But you gave us the morning off, if I recall correctly." She turned on her heel and walked through the house until she reached the living room, dropping down onto the couch. She crossed her legs at the knee and waited for Harrison to approach. She lightly bopped herself on the forehead in the moments she had alone before he joined her. _That was probably one of the dumbest things I've ever said,_ she thought to herself. "And we didn't finish the conversation we had before." Harrison raised an eyebrow as he sat down next to her. "I don't…I still don't understand why you're keeping this all a secret from everyone. You can walk. You can…you can move just as fast as Barry can."

"Yes, that seems to be what I managed to receive from the Particle Accelerator explosion," Harrison agreed. "However, despite all that, I don't think he will take it lightly when he finds out that I have the Yellow suit in my possession."

"And you still don't know who it is that the suit belongs to? Who the one was in his house?" Caitlin asked.

Letting out a sigh through his nose, Harrison grabbed onto Caitlin's hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing the back of it. He looked towards the ceiling for a very long moment before turning back to her. "I've told you everything I know," he said. "If I knew who the identity of that man was…I would've pointed Barry into his direction years ago. You see, I know there's nothing stronger than the love some family members have for each other. If I managed to tell him about a innocent man on accident…I'd rather not be the one that set Barry into a downward spiral of guilt and depression."

Caitlin nodded. She understood that. Barry had an amazing sense of wanting things to be even. He wanted to get back at the person that had managed to destroy his family all within a matter of moments. Before understanding everything that was going on behind the scenes, he wanted to help Cade get back at those that had kidnapped Brady. He wanted to help anyone that managed to be victimized by a metahuman in some way. And yet, she knew that his number one priority was to get his father out of jail and he wasn't going to let anyone stand in his way. If he did manage to catch wind of someone that turned out to be who he wasn't looking for, and he hurt that person. He wouldn't be able to handle it.

"I guess you're right," she agreed.

"I'd like to think I am," Harrison agreed. "Just as I'd like to think that trusting you with my secret…abilities was the best decision I made. Just like we've seen with Barry, it can be really hard and really lonely when you don't have anyone you can confide in. But I know you can keep a secret."

"Really? And what gives you that idea?"

"You kept the secret about our work with the particle accelerator as long as I needed you to. You and Cisco have kept Barry's secret with little to no problems. Mostly because we were the reason for that, but I digress. And the most important secret of all…between you and me…you've managed to keep beautifully. Mostly I think for your own selfish reasons but that's okay, everyone's allowed to be selfish every once in a while."

 _Yes,_ Caitlin agreed as she nodded. _Everyone does get the chance to be selfish every once in a while._ And this was her chance to do it. Right now she didn't have to worry what anyone else would think, she didn't have to worry about the kind of problems that may be going on throughout Central City, she didn't have to worry about Breathtaker or the Assassination Bureau or the Suicide Squad. All she had to worry about was herself and the decisions she made in the moment.

And despite only being with Harrison for two weeks—of the status of that being entirely complicated and not exactly talked about—she knew at the moment that she wanted to do nothing more than kiss him. He must've read her mind for he leaned in and gently placed his hand on her cheek, stroking the skin with his thumb.

Still it was her decision to make and he let her make that.

She was the first one to lean in to kiss him that time.

* * *

Barry shifted backwards a half-step, to avoid the punching bag from smacking him in the side of the face each time Eddie Thawne would shove his fist into the fabric. Over and over the blond detective slammed his fists into the punching bag before taking a step back, lightly smacking his open palm against the bag.

"Alright, Barry, your turn."

A light grimace flittered upon Barry's face as he moved to take Eddie's spot. Not because the detective was very skilled at boxing while Barry wasn't—which indeed was the truth—but also because he had to focus on how much power he was going to put into his punches. Having an increased physiology because of his metahuman powers attributed to his strength and he had to pay very close attention to the sort of power he was exhibiting when around those that didn't know about his identity as the Flash. Not only had he run into the same problem ages before, when Eddie was first training him in boxing he let go of his defenses and managed to send a fist directly through the punching bag, but he was starting to run out of excuses to give for it.

How many more bags could have 'torn seams' before someone started to notice? How long could he continue to work out with Eddie or any other police officers without breaking a sweat? Someone was bound to notice that he ran on the treadmill at a 'normal' pace and appeared to be bored. The one thing he could say for sure about his abilities was that he got used to being able to run fast in a relatively short amount of time. Having to fake his lack of speed was what was really starting to get to him. Plus, Barry hardly ever lifted weights, it truly wasn't something he was into but still managed to have a lean physique that those that worked out every now and then would have. Didn't they notice that he continued to stay in shape without ever actually working hard enough to stay in shape.

 _But off course, lightning did give me abs, _Barry reminded himself with a half smile.

"Daydreaming, Allen? Is it a girl?"

Snapping back to attention, the speedy metahuman noticed Eddie had moved to the punching bag and was now holding onto it, ready to take on the hits that Barry would send to the rough fabric. Shaking his head, the speedy metahuman moved into position on the protective mats under his feet. For a moment he lost his balance, mostly from the accusation that was thrown his way, but also because he wanted to play up his lack of athletics as long as he could. "What? Me? No! No. Wha-wha-wha-what makes you say that?" He then made a face, wondering what when he was going to get over the questions about his personal life that made him nervous.

Or rather, when he was going to get over his tendency to stutter whenever a personal question was thrown his way. Then again it was a bit of a defense mechanism, anything that would keep people from questioning him even further.

Anything he talked about could lead him to accidentally reveal his identity or where he went when he wasn't working with the CCPD. _Either that or it's your guilt getting in the way,_ he reminded himself as he shook his head to answer Eddie's question. It was hard to go through life, acting as if things were normal when he and his friends were all aware of the city-wide attack a powerful metahuman had managed to make 'disappear' with his powers. Everything from that long night had been erased from their minds. Nothing was worse than sitting around, pretending that everything was the best it had ever been, when only weeks before the entire city had been ransacked by a murderous organization that was only moments away from destroying everyone and everything within it. And the only way to keep that fro happening was to erase—in a sense—the minds of those that were there to witness it the first time, and let Breathtaker go.

That was the only part he couldn't stand; having to let him go.

However, since then, there had been no indication the metahuman was back and Central City was as quiet as they could've anticipated it to be. There was nothing they had to worry about for now. Well, other than the fact that they hadn't been able to find Bivolo or Captain Boomerang. Everyone else from the Suicide Squad managed to get back to their headquarters in Starling City with no problems after Amanda Waller had called them back. Bivolo disappeared somewhere into Central City and Captain Boomerang disappeared somewhere between Central and Starling. At the moment it was the only thing sitting in the back of his mind that gave him worry, other than his father consistently rotting away in jail and making sure no one else knew about his secret.

But he could push it all aside.

"Relax, Barry," Eddie said as he took his position behind the punching bag. "I was only kidding. I'd think everyone in the precinct would know if there was someone you had your eye on."

Now Barry faltered even more. 'What makes you say that?" He asked.

"I don't know…the fact that you can't manage to go through the day without letting at least _something_ you're thinking about coming across your face." Eddie made a show of waving his hand back and forth in front of his eyes before grabbing onto the punching bag. "Not only that, but your head has been in the clouds for the past couple of weeks. Is it anything in particular?"

 _You mean other than the metahumans we haven't been able to find?_ "Nope." Barry rocked back and forth on his heels then shot a fist forward and crashed it into the side of the punching bag. Eddie held it still, grimacing a little as the shockwave of the bag ran through him. "Not anything in particular. It's just….you know…getting kind of close to when…" He followed up with another series of punches into the bag, knocking Eddie silly as he did so. He couldn't stop the smile of amusement that managed to worm its way onto his face as he continued to punch it, speaking in between each of them. "When the particle accelerator blew. And it's kind of weird to know that for a lot of other people life went on and I don't remember anything from the time that I was out. It was like; one minute I'm in my lab, the next I'm waking up. And everything has changed."

"Gotcha." Eddie stood up straight, causing Barry to halt in his onslaught against the poor, pathetic, punching bag. "You know…I guess I never really understood how hard things are for you. It's lie you said, you were the one that was out like a light for those nine months. The rest of us didn't know if you were ever going to wake up. We were all worried."

"Really?" His eyebrows furrowing together, Barry crossed his arms over his chest. "I mean, I didn't know you…we didn't really know each other before it all went…" he moved his hands, mimicking the sounds of an explosion. "I didn't think you would—"

"—Well, Iris talked about you all the time. She was always at the hospital, looking out for you. I heard all of your stories." He grinned as he unwrapped the tape from his hands, noticing Barry's slightly horrified look. "Is it true that you nearly hacked up a long when you tried a cigarette for the first time."

"Mmm. _That_ story." Barry gritted his teeth. "Yeah. No. Then she hasn't tell you the whole story. You see, what happened was _I_ was hacking out a lung and she was the one that was throwing up all night because she thought she could handle smoking more than one." He grinned as Eddie laughed loudly. "Yeah, it wasn't our finest hour in all of the decisions we've made."

"If any of the other stories are true, then I'm inclined to agree with you."

Barry was then struck by the notion that Eddie and Iris really _did_ know a lot about each other. They had nine months to go through their relationship, nine months to go from someone Iris could barely stand to look at to a friend. From a friend to someone she potentially had feelings for. From that to…to dating. And who was the one to ask who out first? He had no idea. All he knew was how much he couldn't stand the idea of him holding her, him touching her, hugging her the way he always wanted to. Did it completely tear him up inside as it used to? No, not to that extent; there was always something met related to distract him. But moments like these did nothing but remind him how long he had been gone. It almost made him wish he hadn't been turned into the Flash.

Almost.

"Are you guys done beating the crap out of each other?" Joe asked as he walked through the door of the gym. Unlike the others he was completely dressed and was pulling a jacket on over his clothes as he approached the two of them. "I was just about to head out and meet Iris for lunch. Are you going to be joining us?"

"That depends," Barry said. "Is this lunch a clever ruse by her for us to listen to her not so subtle hints about what she wants for Christmas?" Not that Barry had anything to worry about, he already had her Christmas gift picked out and had had it picked out for months now. It was the others that was an issue. He hadn't known them long, almost a year, and he still didn't know what they would want. Cisco was relatively easy figure out, but Harrison, Caitlin, Cadence, and Brady were another story. And was he supposed to get a gift for Eddie too? They were friends.

Sort of.

"Or is it that annual tradition I heard so much about?" Eddie added, causing Barry to immediately frown with barely concealed irritation. "The one where she does as much shopping as she can, using a Christmas bonus that she managed to receive from Jitters, and have the rest of us carry her bags all the way, do every activity there is to help celebrate the holiday. Namely sitting on Santa's lap?"

"Yeah, I draw the line at Santa," Barry agreed.

Joe West raised his eyebrows in a way that only a parent could, that let the others know there was nothing they could do to change his mind. "Hey, if I have to get stuck sitting on Santa's lap, then you have to too."

Opening his mouth to reply, Eddie found his cell phone starting to buzz and he quickly pulled it off of the towel that rested on the bench behind him. Picking it up, he glanced at the screen and lifted his gaze back towards his co-workers. "Oh, would you look at that, Captain Singh is calling me into his office for a meeting. I've got to go. I'll see you guys later." He patted Barry on the shoulder. "Tell Santa 'hi' for me."

Joe and Barry watched as Detective Thawne gathered his things and hurried out of the weight room to answer Captain Singh's call. Detective West then turned back to Barry with a half smile on his face. "Because of that, I'm giving you express permission, up until you can reveal it on April Fool's Day, to harass that man in any way you see fit. I want to drive him crazy for that one." His lighthearted teasing caused Barry to laugh and smile. "I thought that would get you. Unfortunately there's nothing that'll let you get out of this and it'll be fun. The three of us haven't done anything together in a while." He noticed Barry's pointed gaze and shook his head. "You have to get your mind off that. It's almost Christmas. It's a time to be celebrating, not a time to think about how different life would've been if…if this hadn't happened."

"Yeah, I know. But…" Barry suddenly disappeared from sight and came back within a few seconds, completely dressed. "It's not like I can put my life on pause. Not the way it was before."

"Barry, trust me, you don't want to know what those nine months were like without you around." Joe gazed into his eyes with a meaningful look. The look caused Barry to bow his head. His own selfish purposes aside, he really should've realized how bad the nine months after the explosion had affected so many people. It ruined Caitlin's and Cisco's scientific careers, Joe almost lost a son, Iris almost lost a best friend, and there were many other people that had their lives interrupted in some of the most horrific ways because of that night. "What you need to focus on is that you're here now and you're not going away anytime soon."

Crossing his arms over his chest, he joined Joe as they headed out of the weight room. "I don't know, Joe. If I hear anything about having to dress up a certain way for Christmas photos, I'm going to be across the world before any of you can even blink. I _refuse_ to dress up like an elf again."

"Trust me, I don't enjoy being Santa as much as you don't like sitting on his lap."

* * *

Cadence pulled a pair of gloves off of her hands with a loud snap and tossed them into the nearby trash can before following her professor out of the examining room. The last thing she wanted to do was go back into that room, especially not when he had that very disgusting allergic reaction to something on his feet. She could deal with blood, she could deal with pus, she could deal with rotting teeth, a black eye, basically anything the human body could throw at her in terms of having to fix them. But when it came to feet, that's where she drew the line. Not only were the opens sores oozing pus and blood, but the smell of it nearly made her pass out three times from how long she had held her breath.

How her professor managed to stay so calm throughout that whole thing, she would never know. As if anticipating the question, Professor Lepek laughed and lowered the mask that rested over his face. "There's a bottle of peppermint concentrate that we use on the inside of our masks to make sure it blocks out the smells. I'm sorry; I should've made you aware of it before we went in there." He lifted the vial that was in his right hand. "But at least we got the swab."

"I wish we could've gotten it _without_ me having to look at it," Cadence replied. "What sort of parent allowed their child to go through that much pain before bringing them into the ER?"

"One that are trying to save money, I'm afraid," Professor Lepek replied. "You're a mother, I'm sure you're aware of the extra costs that a child can bring to a family."

"Yes, but most of it is food," she replied. She really didn't need for him to think anything weird about her son's lack of trips to the hospital. Boys his age was always brought to the ER for black eyes, bruises, sprains, abrasions, cuts, gashes, broken bone, and yet hers was perfectly healthy. As healthy as they thought he could be, anyway. Not only did he manage to injure himself the same way other eight year old boys did, especially when he was bored, but her ability to heal others greatly came in handy in that aspect. "You know how much boys can eat. And it's only going to get worse the older he gets."

"Yes, but at least you'll be prepared for it," Professor Lepek said. He looked at his watch. "You finished up your hours for the day, Cadence. Go home and get some rest. I don't know anyone else that's able o come in so early in the morning, but you did say you have the most flexible schedule."

 _Mostly because I can be there and back within seconds._ "Yes, well, that's the beauty of going to school," she explained. "And having a professor that makes it so I can get be with my son whenever he needs me." She stopped by a hospital room, glancing at the numbers and the name on the outside for a moment before turning back to Professor Lepek. "There's just one more patient I have to check in on, then I'll be out of your hair."

"I'm holding you to it, Cadence. I don't want anymore of my students passing out on the floor anymore. I've had enough of that last year."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be quick." Cadence turned and went into the hospital room, catching the attention of the man that lay in the bed. He turned towards her, his eyebrows rising in surprise. "You look more surprised than I thought you would be. No one's come to see you?"

Michael Bloom shook his head, his hands still resting on his stomach. "Not since I explained the first time around. The CCPD have been here every now and then to continue questioning me, to see if I'll slip up. But…I know what happened. There was…there was something in my head, telling me to do what I was doing. I know that's what happened."

"I know you know that's what happened," Cadence agreed. "And I believe you. And so does Joe West and the forensic scientist Barry Allen. We all know what happened. Leah Wasserman has the ability to control your mind as well as to make you hallucinate things she _wants_ you to see. If she wanted you to see a shark in your bathtub, she could do that." Tilting her head to the side her eyebrows twitched. "It's the same reason Brady was never afraid when he was with you guys, the one thing she'll never do is hurt kids. For him, she made everything okay and made sure he wasn't afraid. For the rest of us, whomever gets in her way, she did whatever she could to get her way."

Michael slowly nodded his eyes on her. "No one's going to believe me…if I ever told them will they?" He asked. "Not even with the Flash running around?"

"Do you think anyone would believe this?" Cadence's blue-green eyes slowly turned a fiery orange as she held up her hand. Her veins started to glow the same color as her eyes, rolling down her arm until a fireball appeared over her palm. "If you told them?"

He chuckled an incredulous laugh. "No," he said simply. "I don't think so. Not many people believe in the Flash either."

"Well, I do. And I think you're going to have to take my word for it." Cadence reached out and picked up his clipboard, scanning over the files "It looks like you're going to be discharged soon. Please, when you get out of here. Go back to your family. You don't need to do what you were doing for money anymore. I have it on good authority that the CCPD have something lined up for you." She replaced the clipboard and shoved her hands into the pocket of her scrubs.

"Thank you," he said to her.

"You're welcome." She started to leave the room but stopped when her cell phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked over the number that was calling her phone. She let out a heavy sigh and turned back towards Michael. "And piece of advice, watch your kids like a hawk. It's my son's first day back at school and already the school is calling me."

She walked out of the room and went to grab her purse and slung it over her shoulder before sliding into the bathroom. She looked around to be sure no one was in the stalls then teleported. When Cadence arrived at Central City Elementary School she went back towards the principal's office and slowed when she spotted her son sitting slouched in a chair outside his office, staring at the ceiling. He looked over at her as she walked closer and gave a half smile.

She sighed then gave him an exasperated look. "It's your first day back and you're already in trouble?" She asked.

Brady sat up straight in his chair and nodded before handing a note to her. "Yep!" He said a little too enthusiastically. "And the teacher wants to see you."

The fire metahuman took the note and briefly glanced over it, immediately recognizing the teacher's scrawling handwriting. She then studied her son with rapt attention, waiting to see something in his face that would give him away. "What'd you do?"

"I set the mice for our science class free in the school," he replied simply. As if he had just been asked what 2+2 was.

Cadence stared at him for a moment before bringing her hand up to her forehead. "Why couldn't you just say 'nothing' like a normal kid? At least _then_ I could defend you."

"You don't have to defend me." Brady shrugged then flopped back into the seat, pulling his new Nintendo 3DS out of the pocket of his cargo pants and turned it on. "Just don't get me into trouble."

Right eyebrow hiking upwards, Cadence noticed the sudden attitude shift in his tone. She thought to say something about it, but knew from the last time she had been called to the school—when he had gotten in trouble for fighting—that the principal could be impatient. Instead, she reached out and lightly tapped Brady on the son with the note. "We'll talk about this later."

Eyes still on the screen of his video game, Brady shoved the piece of paper away from his head. "Whatever," he replied.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks to _06bromleys, Alisha Winchester Collins, Guest, and Dead stroke360_ for reviewing.


	3. The Black Flash

**.:3:.**

* * *

Grinning to himself, Barry leapt over a low brick wall, zipping off in the distance as his feet landed on the ground. This was the best way he knew how to spend a day-off, just running around, going wherever the wind would take him. He could go wherever he wanted to within seconds; if he felt like Deep Dish Pizza he could race off to Chicago, wanted to look at fine art, he could zip to New York and check out the Guggenheim, if he wanted good pizza, Coast City was the place to be.

It was the best thing that his powers ever could have given him; the chance to be free, the chance to help other people, the chance to be something more than just Barry Allen 'the guy whose father killed his mother' or Barry Allen 'the nerd', 'the geek', 'the homo'—though that was mostly from High School where the jock types were always picking on him. (Which he thought was a bit strange, so what if he liked to be in drama and musical theatre, he was on the football, basketball, and soccer teams, too. His penchant for being late to nearly everything made juggling it a bit easier). But now he was something more than that. He was a beacon of hope for Central City and while there were those that didn't particularly believe in him, there were his friends; Caitlin, Cisco, Cadence, and Wells…and his family, Joe and Iris, who all believed in what he was doing.

No matter what the capacity of their involvement in the whole thing was.

As Barry continued to run, racing around street corner after street corner, shooting through Central City like a bullet, he couldn't outrun the guilt that was steadily creeping up on him. Iris and Eddie were the only ones around him that didn't know his identity. Hell, everyone in the Arrow Cave knew who he was, which was more than he had hoped would, but they had managed to help him greatly in their last big fight.

 _You're just trying to keep her safe,_ Barry reminded himself as he took another lap around the Marina. He even managed to smile a little as he snagged the extra hot dog that was on a man's plate as he moved to through it in a nearby trashcan. The startled look on the man's face as he had the audacity to look around and even _under_ his tray for the missing dog. _The worst thing that could happen would be if she found out who I was and knew I was lying to her this whole time. If she finds out who I am and was put in danger because of those that are trying to go after me._

If anything happened to her…if there was a chance that he could give up everything to make sure she was safe…he would do that. Then as it happened with every piece of misfortune in his life, an image of Eddie popped in his head. Detective Thawne. Detective Pretty Boy. The guy that was the foil in his own five year plan of finally working up the nerve to tell Iris how he felt. (It was the new norm; people getting married in their 30s right?) The guy that managed to single-handedly swoop in and fall into the protector role that Barry had been for most of his life. All because he had fallen into a coma.

Okay, so that coma made him what he was that day, but without that coma...without his powers, would he have any sense of the confidence that he had in doing what he did? Distracted by his thoughts, Barry nearly ran into a brick wall of a doctor's office—how ironic—before he twisted and raced out of the city limits, moving at such blinding speeds that when fields, streams, and mountains whizzed by he had no idea how far he had gone. It was the best he could do to run away from his past pain and worries. He was always running away from it, distancing himself the best he could but as soon as he moved to catch his breath it all came back, harsher and darker than ever.

Oliver would never allow that to happen; any fear or anxiety that came through him—if the Arrow ever felt those emotions—he probably beat out of himself before it would consume him in any way, shape, or form. Roy as he knew was a kind of an apprentice to Oliver and still managed to have instances where he let his inexperience to overcome him. But he and Oliver worked well together as a team and his time living on the streets and dealing with petty crime had worked hard to overcome his past grievances though that experience also helped him in battle. Then Cadence had the sort of experience he wouldn't wish on anyone, but she was confident in what she was doing and he had seen how hard she had worked to save Central City by his side, her emotion within her powers made her that much stronger.

He wished he was as good as the rest of them were in their abilities and how they felt within their own abilities. But he was the newest one to deal with the new things that were thrown his way and all of the help he got from STAR Labs was more than enough to show that they were there for him, especially as they were the ones that caused the accident and the fallout of Central City in the first place.

Even with all of those people behind him, with the confidence and pride they be stilled in him, he wasn't always one hundred percent with his decisions. That's how running helped him, even before being able to move faster than anyone else alive, he went running to clear his head. Now, he had the added perk of whatever scenery he wanted.

 _"Barrrryyyy Alllennnnn…"_

The voice that wafted around him as dry as dead leaves swirling in the fall wind jolted him to a stop. The sudden shift of going over four hundred miles an hour caused him to trip forward and roll across the ground in a haphazard tuck. Arms and legs flailing he continued to roll across the ground until he finally came to a stop on his back. Groaning, he waited for his healing powers to kick in as he coughed on the clot of dirt and grass that managed to work its way into his mouth. He coughed—choked really—and looked down at his grass stained clothes, slowly lifting his head.

"What was that?" He muttered.

His question was answered seconds later as his name was called once more in that same, hair raising way that nails on a chalkboard created, _"Barrrryyyy Alllennnnn…"_

Then there was a flash of red light that zipped by in the corner of his eye. Barry flipped around onto his stomach hoping to find the Man in the Yellow suit standing behind him. He was ready for that fight he had been hoping for once he had the powers, once he knew he could use his powers to find a way to get his father out of jail. But the Man in the Yellow suit, the bane of his existence and the only hateful thought he ever kept in his head, wasn't standing behind him. No. Instead there was a man in a black suit.

He stood a few feet away from Barry, hands clenched into fists, and as Barry watched, the fists opened up to show claw-like hands. Fingertips as razor sharp as steak knives though didn't glint as brilliantly as they were covered by the same black suit.

"What the fu….?" Shocked, he stared up at the costumed figure in front of him.

The first thing he noticed was how the costume was very reminiscent to his own, down to the lightning bolts handing off of the hood that covered his ears. The emblem on the center of its chest was white with a red lightning bolt, mirroring his which was red with a yellow lightning bolt. That wasn't the worst part. No, that wasn't the most horrifying part at all. What made Barry give pause, what made his heart drop to his feet then slam back up into his throat, what made him hold onto his wits as much as he could was the visible part of this Black Flash. Where there should've been eyes of any color—blue, green, brown, hazel, grey, purple—was completely white, as if beacons from a lighthouse, where there should've been a nose were two flat holes, where there should've been colored skin was skin stretched so tightly over the skeleton beneath that Barry could see the lines of the bones in its teeth.

And the skin…the combination of gray and green, much like the zombies he would see in horror movies muddled together. The jaw was even rounded along the chin, pressed in the center, lower jaw hanging open as if the zombie was going to let out a guttural moan in its search for brains. And as Barry continued to watch, the white eyes slowly started to turn red and a sinister expression came onto it already malicious face. The breath it exalted was warm and heavy, sticky and wet, much like blood but even more so stomach churning and as Barry stared, the figure took powerful strides towards him with intended purpose.

Then the voice filled Barry's head, surrounding him to the point that he couldn't identify the source of origin. The Black Flash's mouth was closed. _"What iiiiif I told you I knowwwww when you're going to diiiiiiiiiiiie?"_

And fear struck Barry with the force of a strong punch to the stomach tears immediately fell from his eyes, he quavered, his chest felt it was on fire and all he could manage was to whimper, "I don't want to die."

Then there was a low rumbling sound and Barry could feel the ground quake beneath him. Clambering to his feet, Barry looked over at the Black Flash and saw he was distracted by the rumbling and shaking around him as well. Then Barry took the piece of advice that always seemed to get him out of any jam. He turned, and ran as fast as he could. Hearing a low boom, over the sound of the rumbling, Barry twisted his head around to find the Black Flash racing after him, his own red streak a darker color than Barry's, trailed behind him like a flag.

 _Turn around!_ He screamed at himself. _You don't want to trip and fall like you do on the treadmill._ This guy was clearly out to get him and Barry did not want to find out what would happen if he did. Gritting his teeth, Barry turned forward and pumped his arms and legs as hard as he could. The two flashes streaked back through and around Central City, over and over again as if playing a harmless game of tag. No matter how many different places Barry managed to squeeze through; alleyways, up fire escapes, through closing garage doors, the Black Flash continued right after him all with the maniac grin on his face with no intention of slowing down. Finally, Barry raced into Starling City and used the urban landscape as a way to lose the Black Flash. With the towering skyscrapers with floor to ceiling windows all around, the reflections of the two flashes caught the Black Flash off-guard. Barry watched over his shoulder as the Black Flash shot off in one direction and Barry went the other.

He didn't stop running until he was back in Central City.

 **…**

 **..**

 **.**

Gasping for air, Barry shot up off the ground and swiveled his head back and forth as if on a pendulum. He was still lying in the middle of the field, arms and legs sprawled out as if he had just decided to take a nap. He continued to suck in as much of that precious air he could get before pushing himself up onto his knees. Blue-green eyes widening, they shifted around the field, watching as the foliage gently bent over in the wind, swaying this way and that as the cool breeze blew.

The Black Flash was nowhere to be found.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for the wait on an update, but I hope it was good enough for you guys to want more. I mean, what does the Black Flash want with Barry?

Thanks to _Alisha Winchester Collins, Guest, and guest27_ for reviewing.

 **Cheers,**

-Riles


	4. You Can Keep a Secret for Only So Long

**.:4:.**

* * *

"A Black Flash?" Cisco asked after a deliberately slow and long sip from his milkshake. Enough so that Harrison bowed his head forward to rest his forehead against his upraised fingertips and Caitlin rubbed her temples, gently grinding her teeth at the slurping sound. "And it looked like it had the same exact suit I made you…but in black?"

"Yes," Barry replied. He stood across the floor of the cortex, leaning against a computer, arms crossed over his chest. He had been in the same stance since he had finally stopped pacing back and forth; mouth moving at a mile a minute as he recounted his story of encountering the mysterious figure that had managed to instill more fear in him than the night of his mother's death. "It was exactly the same. The guy looked exactly like I did…but it was like he was dead or something. I've seen a lot of crime scenes and a lot of bodies that have started to decompose, unfortunately, and this… _thing_ looked exactly like that."

Brady's hand shot into the air as he sat in between Cadence and Caitlin at a computer terminal. "But if he's dead, how was he able to run after you?" Cadence nodded in agreement, the fire metahuman's eyebrows lowering as she added, "And what did he mean when he said he'd be able to tell you when you were going to die?"

"I don't know," Barry admitted. His voice was so final it was as if he had already given up on finding out anything as easily as picking up a card out of a deck. "I don't know." He brought a hand up to rub his face before turning towards Harrison, who lifted his head from his hand and pressed his fingertips together, almost as hard as he pressed his lips together as he thought about it. "I thought I was the fastest man alive. And now there's another… _thing_ out there like me. Something that, as far as we know, other could possibly have the power to kill me or other people with the touch of a hand."

"That'd be kinda cool, actually," Cisco broke in. He grinned as the image popped into his head. "It'd be kind of like the Midas touch but in reverse. Everything he touches turns to death." An evil smile slid onto Cisco's face as he leaned back in his seat and tapped his fingertips together. "I'd certainly be able to use that sort of power whenever the time came. You know…like my high school reunion."

"You would reverse Midas your former classmates?" Caitlin sounded appalled.

"What's the Midas touch?" Brady asked.

"It's a reference to the Greek mythology of a King who was able to turn everything he touched into gold," Cadence explained.

A frown crossed Brady's face as he leaned forward, resting his arms on the counter in front of him. "I was asking Caitlin," he muttered.

Caitlin blinked in surprise and turned to Cadence, who shrugged her shoulders and lightly shook her head, signaling that she had no idea what Brady's attitude was suddenly coming from. Ever since they had gotten back to Central City it was as if his excitement over seeing all of his friends again had immediately soured.

It had gotten worse since she had spoken to the principal about Brady's behavior. Not only did he have the teacher worried as he was taken out of school for so long when Cadence had impulsively decided to go to Metropolis to speak to her parents—which was an adventure all on its own—but he had noted Brady's swift and sudden demeanor change. He talked back to his teacher, disrupted class, and did as he had said, released a bunch of science experiments from class just because he felt like it and because one of his classmates had told him to. And while Cadence had sat in the principal's office and listened to the principal's and teacher's concern, she couldn't help but feel that she was being attacked.

It wouldn't have been the first time. When she had still been walking—well, slightly waddling would've been the better term—the halls through high school, doing her best to hold her binders and books over her bulging stomach she could feel all eyes turn to her no matter where she went. Even some of her oldest friends would consistently whisper about how she had ruined her life when she was so young and how she wouldn't amount to much afterwards.

And that was only behind her back. In front of her face they acted like they were still best friends. "So do you have the name picked out already?" Mallory, who was her absolute best friend since she and Cadence were three, asked one day as she sat with Cadence and lunch. She had a blue and silver bow in her hair and makeup to match, the school colors to show her school spirit for the football game that day. As the rest of the senior cheerleaders joined them at their table, Cadence couldn't help but suddenly wish she was dressed up as much as they were. Clearly she couldn't cheer like she used to, but she hadn't _officially_ been kicked off the team so much as he was demoted to a team manager sort of position.

"Yeah, I'm going to name him Braden," Cadence replied. She smiled a little as she felt her baby kick, much as he always did whenever she spoke. Ever since the first day that he had kicked after hearing her talk to her stomach, his movements had become more and more frequent. "Or Brady for short."

"That's such a cute name! I love it!" Mallory reached out a hand and squeezed Cadence's forearm. "And here I thought you were going to name him after you; with a 'C' name or something."

"Well, Braden is the closest boy's name to Cadence and I'm definitely not vain enough to give him a 'C' name." Cadence laughed lightly, the first genuine laugh she had managed to give in the past few months. She tucked her hair behind her ear and rested her hands on her stomach, her now default comfortable position, and felt Brady kick against her one more.

"Was Ryder upset that you're not going to name the baby after him?" Alicia, her other best friend asked from Cadence's side at the end of the table. Without asking for permission, she reached out and started to rub Cadence's stomach, immediately irritating her. With as much attention she already had brought on to herself, she hadn't it when people thought they were allowed to suddenly touch her stomach or ask personal questions when they felt like it. "I know guys can be really sensitive about that sort of thing."

"Well, it seems to me that Ryder doesn't really get a choice in it anymore," Mallory piped up before Cadence could say anything, causing the fire metahuman to nod and push Alicia's hand away from her stomach. "Since he was such a coward and left the like."

"He didn't want to," Cadence quickly defended her ex-boyfriend. "He had to leave. His parents didn't really give him much of a choice."

"Still, if he really did love you like he said he did, he would've told his Mom and Dad to bite it and stayed here with you," Mallory pointed out. Cadence couldn't help but smile a little. Not only did Mallory not seem to have a filter when it came to things that she felt she was right about, but she didn't really have tact either. "There are too many guys out here that thinks they can get a girl pregnant and then noting is their responsibility. I hope he at least pays some child support."

The cheerleaders nodded in agreement before the conversation turned towards a happier topic; what she would be dressing up as for Halloween, what she was going to do for the baby's first birthday, what she would dress him up as when it was his first Halloween, things that were in the future as if it was far enough away to not be a problem. But she was already six months pregnant and as it was she knew the teachers had a big debate on their hands of whether or not she would be allowed to stay in school.

If the best thing she could do was continue to focus on her studies and act like having a baby was a long way off then she could do that.

Now as she sat in STAR Labs with her friends, thinking about a potentially murderous man that could move just as fast as Barry worried her more than anything else. She understood Barry's choice of not telling Iris who he was, to keep her out of trouble like this, and knew if anything happened to her son—whether he was in a bad mood or not—she would fight anyone that came her way. It was what she had chosen to do when she decided to let him know about her powers and it was something they had to deal with now.

Harrison's voice brought the group out of their own thoughts. "Well, as we don't seem to have any leads at the moment, I don't believe it's something that we should put too much attention on."

Eyes widening slightly, Barry pushed himself off of the computer desk and walked over to Harrison, stopping a few feet away from him. "There's a murderous Black Flash out there that can run as fast as I can!" Maybe if he said it enough times, his friends would understand the kind of danger they were all in. "And you don't think I should be a little bit worried about that?"

"We don't know that he's murderous," Harrison pointed out. "Not yet, he hasn't killed anyone. But what we should be concerned about is the fact that he is, indeed, out there and that he may be able to run faster than you." He moved his wheelchair out from behind his computer desk and went around the floor of the Cortex until he was situated right in front of Barry. Then he slowly brought his hands to his lap. "Which just means that you two,"—he turned to look at Cadence, who nodded—"are going to have to train and you're going to train hard. To make sure you can beat this thing, whatever it is, until it comes back."

"You can do it, Barry," Brady added.

"If you were able to defeat Breathtaker, the rest of the Assassination Bureau, _and_ the Suicide Squad, then you can find a way to beat this Black Flash," Cisco said. He placed his feet on the ground and started to twist back and forth. "But the question is 'how'?" He snapped his fingers as he smiled. "It's like Speed without the bomb attached."

Blank stares turned his way.

"Sandra Bullock? Keanu Reeves?" He shook his head before throwing his hands into the air. "Oh come on, _everyone_ knows that movie!"

"Obviously not everyone," Harrison replied with an amused lift to his tone.

"That's it! Movie night! I declare that we're watching that movie."

Lifting her hand to her forehead, Caitlin turned her attention towards the question that Cisco had asked first. How were they supposed to defeat the Black Flash if they had no idea what it was they were upset against? "Isn't that the million dollar question. With just about every metahuman we've ever come across." She lifted a hand and waved it towards Barry. "If it weren't for his idea of being able to reflect his image back at Bivolo, we never would've been able to have gotten him down into the Pipeline."

Cadence's eyebrows rose. "You captured Bivolo? I thought he got away when we were going after Breathtaker."

"Yeah," Barry agreed. He reached up and rubbed the back of his head. "But like Caitlin said, we were able to figure out how to get him to whammy himself and now he's down there with the rest of the metas." Reaching up he ran his hands over his face before looking at his watch. "Look, there's not much we can do about this Black Flash right now, but I wanted you guys to know before something bad happened. If he knows who I am, then he might know who you guys are as well."

"It was imperative that you brought it to our attention, and you have." Harrison smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Allen. But it's as you said, there's not much that we can do right now. Not this late." He tilted his head towards the entrance to the cortex. "Go. Enjoy the rest of your night. Have a beer on me." He turned his wheelchair around and started to leave the floor.

"That sounds really good right now," Barry admitted.

"But you can't get drunk," Cisco pointed out.

"It's probably the only time I don't want to. But I at least need something that'll take my mind off of this." He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Are you guys in?"

"I could go for a cold one," Cisco agreed.

Caitlin shrugged and nodded. "Sounds good to me."

Cadence looked over at Brady, who pouted even further, and thought for a moment. "Why don't you guys come over to our place?" She asked them. "It's not too far from here and the refrigerator is fully stocked. Plus Caitlin and Cisco haven't seen it yet."

Cisco's eyes immediately lit up and he thrust his hand into the air. "I'm in! As long as I'm not paying for it, I'm good to go." Caitlin rolled her eyes as Barry shrugged and nodded in agreement.

Sliding down from his chair, Brady went over to Barry and Cisco, peering up at them. "Do you like video games?"

* * *

Cadence unlocked the front door to the apartment and flipped on the light. Brady immediately pushed by her and shot off towards his bedroom, talking a mile a minute about the kinds of video games and systems he had for them to play, only stopping long enough to kick off his shoes by the door. The fire metahuman stepped on the heels of her shoes and took them off as well. "Go ahead and just leave your shoes here. They're in no danger of getting stolen or anything."

"Not like the last place?" Caitlin asked. She placed her hand on Cadence's shoulder and balanced herself as she took off her heels. Cadence looked at her out of the corner of her eye and she smiled sheepishly. "Not that it was a _bad_ apartment."

"It wasn't bad, but it was in a bad part of the city, I'll give you that." Cadence flipped on the lights as she went into the kitchen with the bioengineer following right behind her. The sound of explosions and gunfire erupted from Brady's room and the two young women knew the boys were engulfed by whatever shooter video game that always managed to make them drool when a new one came out. "Roy helped me pick it out before everything went to hell with the Assassination Bureau and Suicide Squad. It's close to STAR Labs, my job, a school bus stop…basically everything I need."

"But you can teleport," Caitlin pointed out, resting a hand on her hip. "Why would that matter?"

Going over to the refrigerator, Cadence pulled it open and reached inside for a six-pack. "What part of teleporting into an area where someone could easily see me do you people not seem to understand? Or do you miss the massive cloud of smoke that seems to come around whenever I do it?"

Laughing, Caitlin tucked her hair behind her ear. "Okay, okay. I'm just saying that the only thing I'm envious of for you and Barry is that you save a lot on gas mileage." Raising an eyebrow, she watched as Cadence moved around the kitchen, gathering food together. "Speaking of, how was Metropolis?" In response, Cadence lifted a finger and moved it towards her mouth, miming retching. "That bad?"

"I'll tell you about it at some point, but at the moment I'm trying to block it out." She thought for a moment. "Okay, I wouldn't say it was _that_ bad, but there were a lot of things that's hard for me to talk about. Like, how Harrison is actually my Dad and my Dad _isn't_ my Dad. But I _did_ think I was adopted or _something_ when he decided to kick me out ages ago." The fire metahuman waved a hand in the air. "I don't think I'm going to be getting over that anytime soon. But I'm not bitter."

"Of course you're not." The girls laughed with each other and Cadence finished gathering their food together. She dumped out a few bowls of chips and salsa and instructed Caitlin to take the beer with them before depositing the food and drinks into Brady's room. She tilted her head to the side as she watched them yell at the TV screen, fingers flying over the controllers. "Try not to blow a blood vessel," she instructed, placing the food near them on the floor. "And if you do, clean it up yourselves."

Cadence walked back out of the room to find Caitlin curled up on the couch, staring intently at her phone as she texted. When she noticed her friend coming back into the room, she quickly lowered it, placing it to her side on the couch.

"Who are you texting?"

"No one!" Caitlin's response was so quick, her eyes so wide that she looked like she had just been shot with a blast of icy water. "No one important anyway."

"So the fact that you're as jumpy as a bunny rabbit means absolutely nothing?" Cadence smiled slyly, flopping down onto the couch next to her friend. She rested her head on her upraised hand. "Nope. I'm not buying that. You must be texting some guy. Tell me everything." She reached out and swatted Caitlin on the knee. "And I mean _everything_."

Now Caitlin looked like a deer caught in car headlights. "No…I don't think you'd want me to tell you everything. That might…gross you out a little bit."

"Why? Is he that much older than you or something?"

"Yeah…or something."

An exasperated sigh escaped Cadence's lips as she sat up straight and brought her hands down to her lap. She twisted her mouth to the side as she stared hard at Caitlin, studying her face. "I'm not sure if you're aware of it, but you're breaking every girl code rule that has to do with boys. Where we talk about them enough that our friends are annoyed whenever their names come out of our mouths. And I'm annoyed that I know _nothing._ I'm living vicariously through you considering I haven't been on a date in eight years. You have to tell me something."

"What about Roy?"

"We're not talking about that, we're talking about you."

Now Caitlin felt like she wanted to through up a little. True, Cadence was the first girlfriend she had in a long time, especially having gone into a career field that was predominantly filled with men. Also not to mention that she and some of her colleagues had competed for the same spot that that she had managed to get at STAR Labs and since then had only been around guys; Harrison, Cisco, Ronnie, Barry…but still even she couldn't really wrap her head around the fact that she was dating Harrison Wells. Or if she was even dating him at all, having the boyfriend-girlfriend' conversation seemed to be crass at their age. If her insecurities about it were bigger than she would be glad to say something but even she wasn't sure how Cadence would react to Caitlin's dating her biological father when she was trying to start her own relationship with him.

"Well, you know that dress that we got from the store that one time?" Caitlin asked. "I wore it over to his house one day and he seemed to really like it." _Really_ like it as far as she remembered. She could feel her face heat up as she thought about being in Harrison's embrace. The way he held her, the way he looked into her eyes, the way he smiled at her all managed to make her feel as if she had just jumped off of a cliff and was free-falling through the air with the wind moving by her at such high-speeds it was like she was floating.

"Wait." Cadence held up a hand. "How long have you guys been going out?"

"Well…I wouldn't really say that we've been _going out_ ," Caitlin tried to backtrack the conversation, hoping that she wouldn't slip up and tell the truth of who she was going out with. If she couldn't tell Cadence, then she certainly couldn't tell Cisco or Barry. And Cisco was like her brother; the one person that she could tell literally everything to. They had grown so close through their work at STAR Labs as well as through the Particle Accelerator explosion and she felt bad that she couldn't even tell him about the part of her life that had been deserted since Ronnie had died.

This was really starting to become harder to keep. The last few weeks had been easy as there seemed to be nothing but metahuman attacks that took care of a lot of their attention. When they had time to themselves that was an entirely different thing. Especially with the fact that Harrison could actually walk…that was the hardest part for her to wrap her head around. She truly did understand why he hadn't said anything, his explanation made sense; there'd be too much attention brought to him and STAR Labs if people knew he had been able to regain his chance of walking within a few weeks of the explosion. The more attention to STAR Labs the more attention on him and Barry and…they seriously didn't need it at that point.

Not when there was so much that could go wrong if they did. Especially if someone stumbled upon their Pipeline and the other metahumans and their studies of Cadence's and Barry's powers and….

There was too much to think about.

"But we've been seeing each other for a while," Caitlin finally managed to say without betraying her guilt. (Not that she was guilty). And she was telling the truth for the most part. "It's going well, I think. I don't really know with this guy, he's very secretive."

"He's secretive yet you've already been to his place?" The fire metahuman's eyebrow quirked upwards so quickly it was as if it had been tugged upwards on a fishing line. "Don't you think that's moving kind of fast?"

"No. I don't think so." _I've known him for a while and we spent a lot of time together these past couple of weeks. Alone._ She could feel herself starting to blush once more and she reached out and grabbed onto the beer that sat in front of her, using the cool beverage to calm herself down. "Maybe? I don't know. Ugh, now you have me second guessing it!" Not that she hadn't spent a lot of time second guessing it herself.

"Well, I didn't mean for you to do that, I'm just looking out for you, Cait." Cadence finished half of her bottle of beer, setting it down on the coffee table as there was a knock on the door. Frowning, she got up and crossed the apartment to the front door. "Who is it?" She called, standing on her tiptoes to see through the peephole.

"It's Ryder," a voice called back.

Caitlin's eyes immediately widened as she recognized the name. She leaned over on the couch as Cadence opened the door and took in the tall blond man that stood before her, holding onto a large box and a brightly colored bag. "What are you doing here?" She asked, though let him in. He gently closed the door with the heel of his foot and placed the box and bag into her arms.

"I wanted to give you your birthday gift."

"It's not my birthday."

"Not for a few more days…but I didn't think you'd want me to come around when it was."

"Gotcha." Cadence turned to dispose of the gifts and found Caitlin watching her from the couch. She let out a light sigh and tilted her head, indicating for Ryder to follow her into the apartment. "Ryder, this is my friend Caitlin Snow, Caitlin, this is Ryder Moseley."

"Hi." Ryder helped his hand out towards her.

"Hi…" Caitlin took his hand and shook it firmly. Then it hit her. "Oh, the Ryder that—"

"Yes!" Cadence interrupted. "That Ryder. He came to Central City with me and Brady." She placed the gifts on the coffee table. "He had a project that he's doing out here."

"Really? What kind of project?"

"I'm an architect, so I'm working on the new office space that's being built downtown," Ryder explained. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and shrugged. "It's a pretty big one and they wanted to be sure everything went well, so here I am." He blew his hair back out of his face. "I don't plan on staying too long, though," he added after a moment of silence. "Not unless there's something that'd keep me here."

Cadence let out an impatient sigh and Caitlin's eyebrows furrowed for a second. She started to say something, but was cut off by Barry and Cisco coming out of Brady's room at a fast pace. Brady came up behind them with empty bottles and bowls. Cisco had his head tilted down and was studying his phone intently.

"What's going on?" Caitlin asked him.

"Barry got a major S.O.S. and I'm getting the details now," Cisco explained. "There's something going on in—"he cut himself off as he almost walked directly into Ryder. "Who's this?" He and Barry exchanged a glance before they looked at Cadence, who sighed once more. This time the sigh was so heavy Caitlin was sure she saw a wisp of smoke erupt from the metahuman's mouth.

"This is Ryder Moseley. Ryder these are my friends Barry Allen and Cisco Ramon."

Now Barry's eyes widened. "For real?" He asked. "The Ryder that—"

"Yes," Caitlin interrupted. "That one."

"Oh. Well, it's nice to meet you, man." Barry and Cisco reached out their hands and shook Ryder's hand. "We've heard some…stuff about you."

"I've heard a lot about you guys, too."

"Really?"

"It's a long drive from Central City which means there's a lot to talk about."

"How much?" Cisco cried out in pain as Barry elbow him in the side. He shot Barry a frustrated glare before rubbing his ribs, trying to massage out his wound. "I mean, how important of the stuff did you talk about?" He cried out as he was hit again.

Brady looked up at the group of young adults that suddenly seemed very tense as he placed the stack of dirty dishes on the coffee table. He turned back to Ryder and lifted his chin in a nod. "Hi, Ryder," he greeted him.

"Hey Kid." Ryder nodded back. "How are you doing?"

"Okay, I guess." Brady's eyes then moved over to the gifts that sat on the table. "Who are these for?"

"The bag's for your Mom, the box is for you. I know it's your guys' birthdays soon and I brought something over for you."

"Really?" Brady's eyes widened as he examined the box. He then turned to Cadence, eyes wide with excitement. "Can I open it now?"

"Not until later," Cadence said quickly. She briefly rubbed her forehead before motioning to the dishes stacked up on the coffee table. "Take the dishes into the kitchen please."

Defiantly, Brady turned and sat down on the edge of the piece of furniture and crossed his arms over his chest. "You do it," he stated. Cadence's eyebrow rose in surprise before lowering in seriousness. "You can't tell me what to do." He pushed himself to his feet and walked out of the room.

Ryder let out a low whistle under his breath and turned back to Cadence. "I can see that it wasn't really a good idea for me to show, so I'm just going to head out, alright." He placed a hand on his shoulder. "I promise I'll call the next time I think about it, okay?"

"It's not your fault, Ry, I'll see you later." Cadence walked him to the door and let him out, slamming the door a bit forcefully behind him. She then turned back to her friends and held up a hand before any of them could say anything. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." Caitlin motioned to Cisco's phone. "What's the S.O.S.?"

"Got a hit on Captain Boomerang," Cisco explained. "He's the only one that we couldn't catch after the Assassination Bureau and the Suicide Squad ran throughout Central City. He's been missing for weeks but he finally popped back up again."

"Meaning?" Cadence asked?

"Meaning, we have to go to Starling City," Barry replied.

* * *

 **A/N:** Next chapter brings up the action once more as we go into Arrow's episode of The Brave and the Bold. I couldn't have Flash's part of the Flarrow crossover and not do Arrow's could I?

Review Reply

 _Guest:_ I guess we'll just have to wait and see, but Team Flash seems to have the same questions you do.

 _Dragonfan47:_ You're just going to have to wait and see! ;) But I'm glad you like the idea of them together so much.

 _Alisha Winchester Collins_ : Yeah, I'm really good at doing cliffhangers so thank you so much for the compliment. With the Black Flash I plan on tweaking it a little bit but also have things stay the same, kind of like the show does with DC Comic characters and situations. That being said, I like focusing on Barry every now and then, I didn't do it very much in the last story but it's certainly something I'm going to do more in this one. Sorry for the lateness on the review reply.

So what did you guys think of the chapter? Ryder's appearance certainly is making things harder for Cadence but whether or not he had good intentions is certainly the number one question. You never know with exes.

Thanks to _Guest, Dragonfan47, and Alisha Winchester Collins_ for reviewing.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	5. A New Kind of Tradition

**.:5:.**

* * *

Barry ran his hands over his face as he walked into the West house, pulling the door behind him. The warm scent of dinner slapped him in the face and he immediately felt himself relax. It was better than the alternative…frozen dinner that he wasn't sure how long he had it in his freezer or another trip to Big Belly Burger. Unfortunately he had to partake in multiple ventures of the fast food restaurant in different cities or else the amount of food he would buy would earn him some questioning looks.

Nothing was better than having a space where he was able to be himself, to be Barry Allen, the guy that didn't have to worry so much about saving people and working hard to harness his powers. No. Now he was Joe West's 'son' and he could get a free meal and time to hang out whenever he needed it. What he didn't expect, however, was to find Eddie Thawne in the dining room, helping Iris West as she set the table.

His steps slowed as he watched Eddie and Iris interact with each other, stealing kisses as they moved by each other and giggling as they poked fun at the way they arranged the table with their utensils. He sighed quietly, once again stabbed with the realization that he either had to tell Iris how he felt or get over it, so that he wouldn't torture himself so much. But…having to take so much of a step back was _already_ killing him. A shiver went down his spine as his mind immediately shot to the Black Flash and what it had said to him. It knew when he was going to die. So it said. No one was able to tell the future like that, however with as many metahumans out there that could've been created by the Particle Accelerator explosion, or by other means, there were many powers and abilities out there they hadn't figured out yet.

Finally Eddie noticed Barry approach them and pulled away from his kiss with Iris and flashed Barry a smile that was so warm and welcoming that the forensic scientist was momentarily annoyed by how easy it was to get along with the guy. If he was going to dislike Iris's boyfriend he could at least be a jerk.

It was common courtesy.

"Hey Allen," Eddie greeted him, causing Iris to turn around and flash her best friend a bright smile as well. "Good to see you."

"I was hoping you'd show!" Iris hurried over to Barry and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Barry smiled and brought his arms up, hugging her back just as tightly. It wasn't weird, they were still best friends. He wasn't crossing a line in any way. "It's been so long since we've had dinner together, right?"

"Yeah, I've just had so much work I needed to do," Barry said. He let go of Iris and reached out a hand towards Eddie and shook it firmly. They still weren't on the level where they would hug in greeting despite working together and having to be in each other's lives through both of the Wests. "A lot of late nights. Captain Singh is really making sure I finish as much work as I can after my…outburst." His eyes shifted over to Joe West, who walked out of the kitchen wearing oven mitts and gripping a large pan of lasagna. Having heard the last of Barry's statement, Joe cast him an inquisitive glance as he raised an eyebrow. "I was talking about why I haven't been around so much," he said slowly. "How Captain Singh has been keeping me late…to make up for my outburst."

"Oh!" Both of Joe's eyebrows rose before he nodded. "Right. That day you were very much unlike yourself." He cleared his throat as he placed the pan of steaming food in the middle of the table so that he didn't catch Iris's and Eddie's curious glances. Anything that would keep them from asking about what happened when he was under the influence of Bivolo's whammy. "Well, it's good to have you here." He took off his mitts and reached over to give Barry a warm hug, slapping him on the back as he did so.

Barry took a deep breath as he accepted the hug from father to son, even though Joe wasn't really his father. But it was the best he was going to get with his father Henry Allen still in jail. He would take anything he could for some sort of father figure in his life and he was glad Joe was still there through everything to help him out. Especially with keeping his secret as the Flash.

"It's good to be here, I was starting to run out of food," Barry said, rubbing his stomach. He took a deep breath of the tomato-y scent that enveloped them. "And a home cooked meal is much better than doing another Big Belly Burger run."

"Then you should thank Iris," Eddie said, placing his hand on his girlfriend's shoulder. "She was the one that made the delicious smelling dish we're going to have tonight."

"Yep. So you should be nice!" Iris reached out and lightly smacked Barry on the arm. "Or else you're not going to be able to indulge anymore and you'll be stuck eating all of that junk at your apartment." She looked him up and down and sighed. "Lucky you, you can eat anything you want and not regret it later."

How right she was. "You have no idea." Barry cleared his throat for a moment and decided to just go ahead and say what he was going to say. He'll mention it now and explain more to Joe later, to make sure things would work out. "Speaking of, if you can spare any leftovers I'll be glad to take it. I'm going out of town for a few days? Maybe a week tops depending on how long things take."

"Oh really?" Joe looked a little suspicious as he took in Barry's nervous shuffling of the feet. It was a thinly veiled lie, but what else was there to say? If he gave away too much information at the beginning, he wouldn't be able to have enough time to cover his bases. His mind always worked at a mile a minute, now that he could process thoughts that much faster it was better than he stayed quiet and not allowed his nervous need to fill silences to get the best of him. "Where are you going?"

"Starling City." At the mention of the city name, Joe understood the severity of the situation and visibly relaxed. "There's a conference that's being held out there that Dr. Wells, Caitlin, and Cisco are going to and they asked if I wanted to go with them." He paused for a moment, gauging whether or not Iris and Eddie was buying his story. They listened quietly, appearing interested. "It's a great opportunity and I figured because I've never asked for a day off so I don't think it'll be difficult for it to be granted."

As Iris folded her arms across her chest, Barry noticed the pout that was working its way onto her face and Barry inwardly sighed. Whenever Iris pouted she normally got her way on whatever issue it was. When they were young and fighting over who got the last piece of pie she pouted and he gave in to her. Part of it _may_ have been because it was so cute to him before, and now border lined on sexy, but he knew he was treading a fine line. "You're not going to be around?" Iris asked. She stuck out her lower lip in a pout and he let out a quiet sigh of frustration. "But what about all of our traditions? It's almost Christmas, Bare. The most wonderful time of the year, remember?"

"I know, but this is a really important thing that we're all going to," Barry insisted. Going after Captain Boomerang was the _most_ important thing, especially after his last run-in with the Suicide Squad. "Dr. Wells didn't even think they would be invited to the conference because of what happened but they're all going and he asked if I would go with them. As an apology or something, I don't know. I can't miss an opportunity like this."

"You certainly can't," Joe spoke up, coming to Barry's aid. "A conference as big as that is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"Yeah…" Iris's shoulders slumped.

"It sounds like it'll be a lot of fun," Eddie added helpfully, though everyone knew the last thing Eddie was interested in was a conference about anything science related. Not that he wasn't completely against it, but much like Joe and Iris, there were many times where he found himself completely blindsided by Barry's smarts within those fields.

"Yeah, I'm sure it will be." Barry did his best to hide his smile. As serious as the situation was, he always found it to be a rush—no pun intended—when he was able to use his abilities.

Iris nodded along with the conversation. She thought for a moment then her eyes lit up and a charming grin lit up her face, showing off her pearly whites. She then walked over to Barry and placed a hand on his shoulder. "How would you like some company? Maybe Eddie and I can come with you?"

"What?" Barry asked.

"What?" Joe asked in surprise.

"What?" Eddie repeated, though his question had more of an edge to his tone. His blue eyes were wide with disbelief and he continually shifted his gaze back and forth from Joe to Barry. This certainly wasn't something he had anticipated to be sprung upon him. Not when it was the holidays and he already had plans of his own for the two of them.

"It's perfect!" Iris now grinned at her boyfriend before making eye contact with all three of the important men in her life. They all held differing expressions of disbelief on their faces, but it just spurned her on. "You've been saying for a while now that you would like to take some time off for yourself. What's the better than around the holidays? And I haven't been to Starling City in years; it'd be an adventure for all of us." She then clasped her hands together and gazed at her father. "What do you say? Could you handle things on your own for a few days?"

"I can handle myself just fine, baby," Joe replied. He slowly started to smile, his grin matching his daughters, eyes flicking back and forth from Eddie to Barry. "That's not what I'm worried about." He cleared his throat. "But I can't have you stay in a place that's as extravagant as Starling City while you're on a student's budget. I'll pay for the room. _Both_ of them."

Barry bowed his head to hide his smile as Joe turned a strong gaze towards Eddie, who had the right sense to look away act as if he had no basis in the conversation whatsoever. He had the same thought that Joe had; the romance of the upcoming holiday complete with the romantic city that was Starling…ugh it made his stomach twist and turn just thinking about it. And having to deal with that while trying to stop Captain Boomerang? It made him wish, once again, that he could've turned out normal after the explosion. Or that he was able to turn a blind eye on more things, Joe could handle the whole Iris-Eddie thing on his own.

"Come on! It'll be fun!" Now Iris turned her charm towards her boyfriend, who had never been able to resist it before. He let out a low sigh, already dashing his plans on his own traditions to start with Iris and turned towards Barry with a light shrug as if to say 'if-it's-alright-with-you'. Barry shrugged back in reply and Iris smiled, clapping her hands. "Oh this is going to be so much fun. While Barry is in his meetings we can go sightseeing around the city…maybe we can even meet up with Oliver Queen. You're still friends with him, right Barry?"

"Uh…right." _We're both superhero-vigilantes that are doing their best to keep both of our cities safe all the while keeping each other's identities. Yeah, we're still friends._

"Great! Then it's all settled! This is going to be so much fun!" Iris turned back to Eddie and placed her hands on his cheeks. "We can start our own traditions out in Starling and then when we're back here in Central we can do the ones we have for Christmas! It's a win-win!" She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

Eddie already under the scrutiny of Joe West, didn't want to anger him even further and gave her a peck in response before gently pushing her away. "Why don't we dig into the food and you can tell us more about the conference, Barry?" he suggested.

"Grrrrrreat," Barry stretched out through gritted teeth that he masked as a smile. He just had to figure out some other things that would sound like he really was going to a conference.

If only he was a better liar.

* * *

"Brady, are you coming with us to Starling City or not?" Exasperation crept into Cadence's tone before she could stop it. "I need to know so we can tell your school. If not, you're going to stay here." Sighing, Cadence leaned against the doorframe to her son's room and briefly closed her eyes. _And stay where?_ She asked herself. There weren't many people around the city other than those in STAR Labs that knew about their arrangement and she wasn't in the mood to go into it with someone that didn't know, selfish reasons aside. _And I'm not sure how the school would react if I took him from school again._

"I don't _know_!" Brady replied in a huff filled with attitude. He stared at the screen of his video game, clearly not wanting to be disturbed.

"You don't know if you don't want to go?"

"I don't know."

Anger flared within Cadence and she lost control of her powers for a brief moment. Long enough for the placement of her shoulder on the doorframe to burst into flames and set off the smoke alarms. Pushing herself off, she pressed her palm against the flame and it immediately went out, leaving the tiniest hint of a mark in its place. She held her breath for a moment before turning on her heel and leaving the room. She couldn't continue the conversation without losing her temper even further and the last thing she was going to do was put him in danger in any way.

Going back to her room she kicked at the top of her open suitcase before taking a stack of clothes that sat atop her bed and dropping it into the case. She went over to her closet to pick up some more when she heard a light tapping at her window. Turning around, she found Barry tapping his finger against the window from where he sat perched on her fire escape. Once he saw he had her attention he smiled and waved and Cadence returned the gesture before walking over and opening the window.

"Hey Tholly," she greeted him as he ducked his head and climbed through the window. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood," Barry replied. Closing the window behind him, Cadence gave him a disbelieving look and he held his hands up defensively. "Honest. I was out for a run. I stopped at Joe's place for dinner and while the food was good, I was still hungry."

"So you did your usual Big Belly run and then found yourself in my neighborhood?"

"Yeah. But I did want to talk to you about something." He shifted his feet, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Last time we were here, Brady seemed to be really upset. And I don't want to overstep my boundaries with this but…I was wondering if things were okay."

"If by 'okay' you mean that I'm constantly being snapped at, yelled at, and disrespected? Then things are great." Crossing her arms, Cadence turned on her heel and motioned for Barry to follow her out to the kitchen. He followed her, eyebrows coming together in his confusion.

"Then why aren't you doing anything about it? It's obviously really bothering you." He gratefully took the ice cream carton she handed him. Taking the spoon she offered he dug out a big scoop and started eating. Cadence, on the other hand, opted for a glass of water.

She thought for a long moment and then her shoulders slumped. She knew why she wasn't saying or doing anything about it, but didn't know how to articulate it. Brady wasn't spoiled by any means; she was pretty good at giving him rules and boundaries and knew that letting him talk to her so disrespectfully was just teaching him that when he was angry he could do whatever he wanted.

"Because it hurts," she said finally. "Seeing the way he glares at me, how he's always snapping at me…it hurts more and more each and every time. And he's never done this before. I guess I'm just really…at a loss at figuring out how to figure out what is wrong. We used to be able to talk about anything and now I feel like I'm the blame for everything and I don't know what to do."

She let out a shuddery breath, holding back the tears that were threatening to fall down her cheeks. She had thought his teenage years were going to be the most difficult ones, not when he was only eight years old. Wanting to take the attention off her, she motioned towards Barry. "Did you ever get into a fight with your Mom?"

Mouth full, Barry tilted his head to the side as he thought about it. "Maybe once," he said slowly, voice muffled from the melting dessert. "I think I was mad that she wouldn't take me to the toy store. So I got on my bike and only made it halfway down the block before she grabbed me and took me back home. I was grounded for a day."

"What did you want so badly at the toy store?"

"A Superman action figure."

"Figures." Cadence finished her glass of water and reached over, placing it in the sink. "At the moment I'm trying to figure out whether or not Brady wants to come to Starling City with us without getting the proverbial daggers flung into my back from his eyes."

"Have you thought about asking Ryder?" Barry was slow to ask the question, unsure of how she was to react to it.

Nodding, Cadence rested her hands against the counter she was sitting on and kicked her legs back and forth. "I asked him earlier today." It had been hard for her to decide to ask if he wanted to take their son for a week. She had stopped by the construction site to find him and the two had taken a quick walk around the block as she brought it up to him. It hadn't been easy as the tension from their last conversation from years before continued to plague them.

"You want me to take him for a whole week?" He asked her as they strolled along. "You think you can spare him that long?"

"Probably not," she admitted. "But it's just as well, we're not really getting along right now and I don't know if he can miss much more school." She lifted a hand and brought it through her hair. "Look, I know its short notice, but can you take him?"

"I'd love to," Ryder said honestly. "I really would. But I have another project that I'm working on and it'll take up a lot of my time." Cadence waited for him to elaborate but he stayed silent, turning his gaze towards the ground.

"What sort of project?" She finally asked.

"It's nothing big, really. Just something that recently came up. I needed the extra cash while I wait for the office building job to bring in my paycheck. It's going to take up my nights along with what I'm doing out here, so…"

For someone that wanted to see Brady so badly, Cadence couldn't see why he was being so evasive. What sort of project would it be that he was working on to keep him from spending time with him. Only one thought that would make sense entered her head. Cadence paused and regarded Ryder with a critical gaze. "Ryder, please tell me you're not a stripper," she said.

Caught off guard by her accusation, Ryder nearly tripped over his own feet. He then laughed and lightly shook his head. "I'm not a stripper. If I was, don't you think you'd know?"

"I'd hope I'd know, that's why I asked." She paused. "So you're not a stripper?"

"No! And my project is being kept under wraps right now so I can't tell you anything else. I really would take him if I could, but I can't. I'm sorry."

"Okay. Thanks anyway."

She still wasn't 100% sure he was telling the truth, but that would be very hypocritical of her. She hadn't told him about her abilities or who Barry really was, or what she did to help Central City when she wasn't working, what STAR Labs really was, what really happened in Central City…and she wasn't going to until the time was right and she knew she could trust him again. The realization made her roll her eyes. _Now I get why Barry's so adamant about it._ She looked up as Brady walked into the kitchen, obviously having heard Barry's voice as he went straight to him.

"Hi Barry! Do you want to see the science project I'm doing for school?" He asked.

Barry looked over at Cadence and she nodded encouragingly. Then Barry smiled and nodded at "Uh, sure, but let me just finish talking to your Mom, okay?"

The eight-year-old's face screwed up as he wrinkled his nose. "You spend a lot of time with her," he remarked. "What about me? Don't you like hanging out with me? I'm more fun." He reached up and grabbed onto Barry's arm, tugging on it. "C'mon, I want to show you my new game."

"Brady," Cadence warned him. "Be patient."

"I _am_ being patient. I just don't know why he wants to spend more time with _you_." He widened his eyes innocently. "You're a liar."

"I'm not a liar. What have I lied to you about?" Cadence watched as Brady scrunched up his mouth once more and turned on his heel, stomping out of the room. "Braden Nash, if you keep up this attitude, you're going to be grounded."

Brady turned back towards his mother and narrowed his eyes. Finally, he took a deep breath and spat, "I know Ryder is my Dad!"

His words were like an explosion that shot through the kitchen. Barry made a light gasping sound and looked as if he were very uncomfortable but didn't know how to leave the room. Brady stubbornly crossed his arms as Cadence jumped down from the counter and pulled out a chair from their kitchen table. She sat down and placed her hands on Brady's shoulders, pulling him closer to her.

"Ow," he whimpered as she held tightly onto him. "You're hurting me."

"How do you know that?" She asked in a low, serious tone.

"I heard you talking about it in the car," Brady replied. "I wasn't asleep." He took a deep breath and repeated, "You lied to me."

"I didn't lie to you; I just didn't tell you the truth." Cadence ran a hand over face and up into her hair. She glanced over at Barry who whistled quietly, turning away. "Wow, that didn't sound as good. What I mean was I didn't tell you who your father was because I didn't think he wanted to be in your life. And when he showed up again, to come with us to Central City, I didn't know how to introduce him to you or how you were going to react to him. Or if he _wanted_ to be with you. I hate to break it to ya bud, but not everyone that's in a similar position has both parents who want to be in their lives."

Now Brady looked confused and a little hurt. That's what she had been hoping to avoid all together, that he wouldn't really understand any of their reasonings for their decisions surrounding his birth. "He doesn't want to be my Dad?"

"No, he _does_ but…it's really complicated. Right now it's against the rules for him to have you for an extended amount of time unless he works it out with me first. If you wanted to stay here, and if he wasn't busy, you were going to stay with him."

"Oh."

"And if it weren't the case we're going to Starling, I don't think it's appropriate for him to spend time with you without me there right now. There are some things that we need to work out."

"Like with Gramma and Papa?"

"Exactly."

"Oh." Brady uncrossed his arms and dropped them to his sides. "Mom," he said quietly. "I'm sorry." He moved forward and wrapped his arms around her neck. Cadence hugged him, gently rubbing his back as she squeezed him hard. She was glad to see he wasn't angry anymore, for the moment. He was bound to be angry about it all over again, she knew he was incredibly confused and was just taking her word for it as he didn't know the entire story surrounding their circumstance.

"It's okay bud, don't worry about it," Cadence said. Though she knew it was going to be hard to get over it. Like she had said to Barry, she had never seen him so angry before, especially with her. It wasn't going to heal the hurt that he managed to inflict upon her. Not anytime soon. It wasn't going to be that easy.

"I want to go to Starling City," he added, still holding onto her, voice muffled by his neck.

"Great!" Barry spoke up once more, grateful for a different subject to talk about. He would've left sooner but hadn't known if he should have or if it would have become more awkward as he had already been there for most of the conversation. Not that the tension had eased a little, he was back to his slightly awkward self. "Cisco and Caitlin are already on their way there, we can meet up with them later." He placed the empty carton of ice cream on the counter. "Do you still want to show me your science project?"

"Yes." Brady kissed his mother on the cheek. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too." Cadence hugged him again before patting him on the back. "Go show Barry your project and I'll clean up here."

"Okay." Brady moved away from his mother and led Barry out of the room.

Cadence leaned against the back of her seat and sighed heavily, bringing her fingertips to her forehead. She briefly wondered how long she could give herself a fever before people started to worry enough to send her to the hospital. Anything to give her time to figure things out.

* * *

Harrison frowned as he paced back and forth in front of Gideon. "There's nothing not he Black Flash? That's impossible."

"I'm sorry Dr. Wells, but nothing has come up within every parameter of searchers you wanted me to conduct," Gideon, his personal AI replied. "There are no responses."

Placing his hands on his hips, Harrison paced once more. He then snapped and slowly turned back to Gideon, staring at the empty digital database in front of him. "Search 'Death' and 'The Flash'" he instructed.

"Certainly."

And as Harrison watched, numerous reports popped up onto the digital database, all having to deal with the Black Flash and the Flash that had managed to fall to him.

* * *

 **A/N:** For those wondering, the Rogues will be mentioned every now and then, but they won't become big characters until after the Flarrow crossover is finished, so within a few more chapters, depending on how long I stretch things in Starling City out. Though if you have any ideas to bring Snart and Mick in more before then, feel free to let me know.

As for Brady's part, I didn't want to have his anger go on for so long, especially as the plot with Ryder will continue in other areas and he has an even bigger storyline to go through.

That being said, now that they're all in Starling City, things are certainly going to become more interesting. ;) I'm really excited for you to see what's going to happen with the Arrow portion of the crossover.

Review Reply

 _Guest: I think it's more awkward for Caitlin to keep the secret than it is for being with Harrison at all._

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	6. Curveballs

**.:6:.**

* * *

 _Cadence sighed as she pulled to a stop at the top of the long, winding driveway. She studied the expansive mansion that she had grown up in and managed to completely forget about while she lived her life in Central City. It looked the same; the off-white coating—not eggshell, her mother reminded anyone that came over, but off-white—that shone in the glistening sun, the wrought iron fencing that raced around the property in a menacing warning, but covered in roses in twisting vines to radiating warmth as well. The large bay windows surrounding the front were what Cadence remembered the most; using it as a place to curl up with a book to read, her favorite spot in the winter as it was close enough to the fireplace to feel the heat but able to look out and watch as snowflakes fell. A fountain sat in the path of the driveway, wrapping the asphalt around it, spraying a fine mist through the air. Bushes holding Christmas lights that sat outside year round lined the pathway up to the front door. Despite staring up at the building she called home it felt as if she was visiting for the first time making her feel out of place._

 _As Cadence continued to sit in the driver's seat, leaning forward and resting her chin atop the wheel, arms hugging it, Brady snapped out of his seatbelt and blasted out of the back of the car leaving the door ajar as he raced towards the front door. Her eyes watched Brady as he ran to the front door of the house and leapt onto Kent as he and Maya stood on the front porch. For a few minute she watched as her son interacted with his grandparents without a care in the world. That had been the point; she wasn't so heartless that she would keep her parents from having a relationship with her grandson and vice-versa. That didn't mean she had to have a relationship with them, besides how many times had they called to ask her how she was doing?_

 _Never._

 _They always wanted to hear about Brady._

 _Then again the phone worked both ways but Cadence wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of her calling them first if it didn't have to do with him. As far as she was concerned it was their responsibility to reach out and at least apologize for what they had done._ They won't ever apologize because they won't admit they did anything wrong _, Cadence reminded herself._

 _Finally, she pushed open the door, sliding her keys out of the ignition lest she wanted to turn tail and run. Instead, she took her time going to the trunk and taking out their bags before walking up the drive towards her parents._

 _"Cadey!" Kent said warmly as he smiled down at his daughter. Cadence raised an eyebrow but didn't otherwise reply with anything more than a light sigh which could be interpreted anyway. "It's good to see you, honey. How was the drive?"_

 _"I hope you didn't run into too much traffic," Maya added, smiling warmly as well. "You know Metropolis; something small always backs it up for a few hours at a time." She reached out and placed her hand on Cadence's shoulder before ushering her into the house. "Come in, come in, I'm sure you're hungry."_

 _"I am!" Brady declared, already charging into the house. Once he crossed the threshold, he took off his shoes and placed them by the door. He then turned back to Cadence and looked up at her, eyebrows furrowing together. "I'm kind of tired, too."_

 _"You'll feel better once you get some food." Cadence reached out and ruffled his hair. "You know where the kitchen is, I'm sure Gramma and PaPa won't mind you raiding their refrigerator."_

 _"Not at all," Kent replied. He motioned for Brady to go ahead and started walking after him. "Let's go see what we can rustle up, shall we?"_

 _Cadence watched her father and son leave the room together, her eyes shifting back and forth between the two of them as they went. Their relationship was so simple and so spoiled, as it should be between grandparents and grandchildren. It should've been the same sort of relationship she had with them herself; actually they should have barely been looking her in the eye not warmly greeting her like normal parents always did instead of welcoming her with open arms._

 _"Is everything alright, sweetie?"_

 _It wasn't until her mother spoke to her that Cadence realized there was a deep scowl on her face. It was everything she had wanted when she first moved out on her own with her baby in her arms and nothing but a small apartment to rent in a city she had never been to before. And they wanted to let her have that_ now _? When she was about to tear them apart again because they didn't tell her that Harrison Wells was her_ real _father?_

 _Life had a funny way of throwing her curveballs and she didn't appreciate it._

 _"No, Mom," Cadence finally replied suddenly wishing she had stayed in Central City with Barry, Caitlin, and Cisco. "Everything's fine."_

* * *

"Oh come on, Caitlin, you have to give me something about this guy."

"There's no guy, Cisco."

Cisco raised an eyebrow before an amused smile came to his lips. He turned away from his reflection in the pristine and unmarred silvery wall of Palmer Tech's elevator so that he could give his best friend an indignant stare. "Please, Caitlin, you're talking to the guy that singlehanded got you and Ronnie together—"

"—I seem to remember it was Ronnie that—"

"—and told him the ring to get you, and how to propose, and everything else that a best girl friend is supposed to do. But I'm not afraid to be in touch with my feminine side every now and then." He reached out a hand and placed it on Caitlin's shoulder. "I think I know when there's a guy so let's not beat around the bush here." He cleared his throat, allowing a stern expression to come to his face, completing the look as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Now, where'd you meet him?"

"Cisco…" Caitlin shook her head before reaching up and using the tip of her finger to delicately scratch her forehead. The same thing she always did when she was trying to stall for time, using the movement as a way to hide her face.

The elevator doors dinged open and Caitlin dropped her hand, rolling back her shoulders, before stepping out onto the floor, her heels clacking loudly. Cisco stepped out after her, his converse squeaking loudly in comparison. "You're not getting away from me, Miss. Snow."

"Dr. Snow," she corrected him over her shoulder with a playful smile.

"Your degree aside my curiosity still stands, _Dr._ Snow. You're not getting out of it yet." Cisco wagged his finger at her back before he hurried back to her side.

They stopped at a large bay window and took in the view of Starling City. It was as big of a hustling and bustling city as their home, but something about it appeared more…regal. Which made sense as some of the more wealthy people lived in Starling, but as far as they could see, the Glades—the poorer part of the city—rested nearby as well. A stark contrast to how the wealthier half lived. Nevertheless it was all a great view to him, allowing him to momentarily forget about Caitlin's mysterious boyfriend.

He hadn't been lying when he said he was the reason Caitlin and Ronnie had gotten together. He and the engineer had clicked almost instantly due to their love of classic movies and video games though they were opposites in many ways. Ronnie was the quintessential frat boy that managed to have every girl fall for him with a smile while Cisco was the nerdier one and he would admit he wondered why Ronnie was at STAR Labs in the first place when they first met but they then became inseparable. Caitlin had longed for Ronnie for a while, often talking to Cisco about it as they had become very close since meeting each other.

If he could see how much she had been lusting after him—she preferred longing but that was just so she could save face—then he would certainly be able to know when she was interested in someone else.

"This view is amazing," Caitlin said softly as the two moved away from the window and headed towards the office they had come to find. "I wish we could rebuild STAR Labs and use the upper floors again. Central City at night is beautiful."

"Yeah," Cisco agreed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his slacks. "But we can't do that or else Barry will be found out." He bobbed his head back and forth. "Which wouldn't be _so_ bad but with the lynch mob that's constantly looking for Dr. Wells, it might not be a good idea." Caitlin nodded in agreement and the two continued to the office where they found Felicity Smoak bent over a table, picking up files as she went. She was already wearing her red overcoat, signaling she was about to leave for the day.

Sensing them approach she said, "Almost done here, Jerry. You should have gone home hours ago."

"Who's Jerry?" Caitlin asked in a light, conversational tone.

Cisco then looked around the office and his eyebrows rose. "This place is bigger than my apartment," he added.

"What are you doing here?" Felicity appeared pleasantly surprised, but bemused all at the same time.

"Well, we got warning that Digger Harkness was causing trouble back here in Starling," Caitlin said, hugging her purse to her side. She bobbed her head to the side. "And we thought that after you guys helped us in Central City, we could come by and help you." When Felicity didn't reply, she was quick to add, "and we have some saved up vacation time that we—"

Cisco got right to the point. "We want to see the Arrow Cave."

The harsh look Caitlin shot him wasn't lost on Cisco; he merely chose to annoy her. "Cisco!"

"I want to see the toys," he added.

"We don't ever call it that," Felicity said. Cisco waved a hand. Potato, Poh-tato, it didn't make a difference to him; he just wanted to see everything the Arrow had to work with. Even if he had to find it himself as it seemed that Felicity wasn't going to be of any help. She continued to hold the files to her chest and chew her lower lip, eyes darting back and forth between the two.

What was the big deal anyway? She had been so eager to help out Barry while she was in Central City, eager to see where they operated and everything and now she was sort of…aloof. Like she didn't want them around. Okay, yeah, they did sort of drop in unannounced but Starling City wasn't _that_ inhospitable was it? He exchanged a glance with Caitlin and saw that she had the same expression on his face that he did.

 _Or maybe it can,_ he thought and turned back to Felicity, pressing his hands together. "Please, Felicity? I'm _dying_ to see it!"

He looked up at Felicity and tried to hide his smile. But he couldn't help but unleash it when he saw Felicity's resolve cracking. Before he knew it, she was leading himself and Caitlin down the steps and into the Arrow Cave, where Oliver and Roy immediately turned towards them, their bodies tense to know who it was that had their footsteps echo off the walls around them. Cisco noticed Oliver's eyebrows rise before they lowered to nearly rest upon his lashes and he turned with a clenched jaw to Felicity, who walked to her chair with hunched shoulders, already knowing she was in trouble with the vigilante. Even as she sat in her seat, closing her eyes at her mistake, Cisco didn't care.

He was in _the_ Arrow Cave! Screw Felicity telling him not to call it that, it's what it was. He was the nickname, he had to tell it like he saw it, and it was a Cave of Wonders. Roy cast a worried glance as Cisco and Caitlin looked around. Spotting something on a table out of the corner of his eye, Cisco hurried over and examined the miniature arrows that were arranged along the table.

He reached out a hand to pick one up and his shoulders hunched up to his ears when he heard the parental, "Don't touch that," growl from Oliver. Bringing his hand back, he shifted to the side and reached out towards another clump of arrows and received another growl of, "or that!"

Turning around, Cisco chewed his lower lip to face the Green Arrow, who sat near Felicity, hands gripped tight around the edge of the table he was holding onto and staring blankly, albeit angrily, at the wall across from them.

"That's a jettison arrow. It uses compressed CO2 to jettison high intense strength polymer cables," Cisco completed the sentence for him. He felt that he wanted to impress the Green Arrow in some ways, or at least show them they could help with the Captain Boomerang situation like they had in Central City.

"Yyep," Oliver replied.

Finally, Roy spoke up. "Since when did we start selling tickets to the Arrow Cave?" He didn't seem as impressed as Cisco would've thought either. Either that or they were under incredible amounts of stress they couldn't have known. _These guys go after real criminals, Cisco, don't forget that,_ he reminded himself.

Oliver seemed to agree with Roy's statement for he rolled his head towards Felicity and fixed her with a hard stare while she widened her eyes innocently and pretended to become interested in the computer screen behind her. As they were distracted, Cisco moved over to where the suits were being held and Caitlin followed him.

"They don't seem very happy to see us," she murmured to him.

"Don't worry, I get the same feeling from my parents," Cisco said, his eyes moving over the suit. "You'll get used to it." He reached out and grabbed onto her hand. "But check out the suits, Cait." His smile widened as she grinned.

"Of course you'd get hot and bothered over the suits the most," she teased him. She elbowed him in the side before looking over it herself.

Hot and bothered. That was certainly the best words for it. He was sure this was the first time he was in love with an inanimate object. "I have _so_ many ideas for improvements on them. I can't wait to get started." He moved over to Roy's and tapped the glass before pressing the palms together. "It's so awesome! And going with red was a smart move, it's _so_ much better than Green."

Roy then smiled, suddenly entranced with their guests. "I like this guy."

Caitlin laughed and nudged Cisco once more before moving across the room, her head tilted to the side to study the workout contraption that was across from Felicity's desk. "What's this?" She asked the tech genius, who sighed as she leaned back in her seat.

"A distraction from work," she commented.

Caitlin looked confused for a second before clasping her hands together. "Where's Mr. Diggle?" She asked of the member of their team that was notably missing.

"He's running down a lead," Roy replied. He crossed his arms and legs. "Where're Barry and Cadence?"

"They should be here soon," Cisco said, continuing to look around the room. "I doubt they'd miss out on coming to Starling City. Especially not under these circumstances and what happened with Harkness back in Central City."

He sighed, thinking about how close they had come to being completely destroyed by the Suicide Squad and the Assassination Bureau. Breathtaker was still out there somewhere and that was always in the back of his mind. While Cadence had been gone in Metropolis he wondered what it would be that he could create that'd stop the metahuman from coming back and finishing the job.

It was one of the strongest fights they had had by that point and he was stronger and had a plethora of abilities none of them had been able to stop. If he was able to erase the minds of anyone that had witnessed what went down that day.

He'd come up with something even if it killed him.

* * *

"Would you look at this view!" Iris cried as she hurried across the large suite and practically catapulted herself into the window. She turned around to see Eddie's and Barry's reactions and saw the identical grimaces on their face. With a sigh, she turned away from the twinkling city lights and placed her hands on her hips. "C'mon guys don't let this room situation mess up our trip. It'll be fixed soon. How were we supposed to know they would mess up the reservations like that?"

"I don't know," Eddie replied. "But I certainly have no problems using my powers of authority to good use if you know what I mean."

"Me either," Barry agreed. Though he knew as a forensic scientist he wasn't going to get _much_ use out of waving his badge around. It wasn't as flashy as the others. He cleared his throat before rubbing the back of his neck. "But you're right, the view is great. It's not anything we can get back in Central City." He nodded towards the building next to the hotel. "They've really got a head start with the Christmas decorations. Speak of which, I'm sure you two are going to be busy taking in the sights around the city, maybe catch an early dinner." He started to back towards the hotel room door making sure not to trip over his bag. "So I'll just get out of your hair."

He knew for sure, _no one_ wanted him there. He didn't want to be there. How was he supposed to feel about 'accidentally' being put in the same one bedroom hotel suite as Eddie and Iris? Nauseous probably wasn't supposed to be it, but it was that along with wondering why whatever was up there seemed to enjoy picking on him so much.

"Thanks Barry," Eddie called to him with a nod.

"We'll see you later," Iris added before clapping her hands. "Let's go shopping tomorrow, maybe we can find something for Dad while we're out here."

"Sounds like a plan!"

He made it out of the hotel room just as his cell phone rang with a text message. He pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen, breath hitching in his throat as he briefly wondered what it could be that happened so soon after they arrived. Not that the destination trip to Starling was so bad, though Cadence and Eddie had gotten into a bit of a fight over the car they'd take there. Eddie wanted to drive, but Cadence didn't want to take a police car all the way up there—much to Brady's disappointment. Barry had contemplated running all the way to Starling City just to get away from it but knew he wouldn't be able to explain _that_. Finally they decided on Cadence's car and switching off driver's…when Iris wasn't constantly fiddling with the radio station.

Not that it wasn't all entertaining, he found himself laughing by the end of it.

"Did you see the size of the bathtubs?" Brady asked, eyes widening in excitement as he flew out of his and Cadence's hotel room. "Now I might actually want to take a bath!"

"I could only be so lucky, bud," Cadence remarked. She turned to Barry and raised an eyebrow. "Did you get Caitlin's SOS, too?" At Barry's nod, her upper lip curled for a moment and Barry could see her thought process as she turned her attention towards her son, then looked at Barry out of the corner of her eye. "Could you—?"

"No problem," Barry was quick to answer. He grabbed Brady around the waist and zipped to the Arrow Cave, depositing the boy with Cisco and Caitlin before zipping back to Cadence. Her hair settled around her face from his quick movement and she still stood in the same position she had been as he had left seconds before.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

With that, Cadence looped her arm around Barry's neck and he bent down and picked her up in his arms before racing off once more.

It appeared Starling City had as much of a nightlife as Central City.

* * *

Oliver gritted his teeth as he and Roy stood crouched behind a balcony overlooking the floor as Digger Harkness wreaked havoc on the guards and ARGUS members that were trying to take him down. But with each rotation of his boomerang, it managed to catch someone on the arm, across the chest, or across the face, catching them off guard and spraying blood on the nearby surfaces behind them. He gritted his teeth and turned towards Roy who was waiting for the word to go. Oliver then nodded and the two lifted themselves up and jumped over the balcony, landing hard on the ground below.

Gunfire immediately erupted and the two raced towards the source of the noise, coming to a stop when they found Harkness confidently walking towards them. Oliver and Roy lifted their bows and started to shoot. They only got one arrow off before Digger threw a boomerang. Oliver's arrow went wide and shot by Digger's head, barely skimming his cheek. Digger's boomerang shot forward and struck Roy's bow, knocking it out of his hands, causing it to skid across the floor as the boomerang struck the wall behind him and exploded in a spark of flame.

Roy's eyes widened and he reached down to his boots and pulled out his Eskrima Sticks, holding them tightly in his hands. Once Oliver saw that Roy was properly armed, he retightened his grip on his bow. Digger wasn't going to get away with this. He took a step forward along with Digger and the two raced towards each other. The Green Arrow ducked out of the way and the two swooped around to get the first strike on each other.

Roy came up on Digger's other side to make sure that whatever swing Oliver missed, he was there to block Digger from striking. Around and around the two Arrows went as they strike, ducked, bobbed, weaved, and attack Digger, who did a good job at keeping himself up to speed compared to what he was going against. The malice in his face showed in the strikes of precision he shot back towards Oliver and Roy.

Diggle and Layla—whom he had come to find when Digger had first arrived back in Starling City—brandished their pistols as they took cover from Digger's flying boomerangs. Oliver and Roy were doing a good job so far, but he was a shifty one and knew how to use his surroundings to his advantage. Finally, after swinging under one of Oliver's swipes of his bow, Diggle caught Roy off guard with a back kick that was placed directly in the center of his chest, knocking him back off his feet. Oliver, having watched Roy fall, opened himself to an attack by Diggle, who grinned as he threw two boomerangs directly towards him.

Oliver watched as the boomerangs came closer to him, his lower jaw dropping slightly when he noticed that he had opened himself to a vulnerable position. The boomerangs moved closer and just as he would have been hit, there was a flash of yellow light and the weapons were suddenly gone from sight. Barry came to a stop in the corner of the room, holding onto the boomerangs as took a few deep breaths to come back from his exertion. Diggle's, Layla's, Roy's, Oliver's, and Digger's eyes all turned towards Barry.

Distracted, Digger opened himself to an attack as there was a sudden rush of flame that shot from behind him and headed towards Diggle, immediately encircling him in a fiery whirlpool. Cadence stood on the other side of the room, her hands outstretched towards Digger. Gritting his teeth, Digger threw a smoke bomb that had enough force to knock back the flame and he ran off while the others were distracted.

Barry smirked and disappeared in a flash of light while Cadence disappeared in a burst of smoke.

Oliver shook his head.

He needed to say something about their help but the more important thing was that Digger had gotten away.

Cadence, Felicity, and Caitlin all watched, lifting and lowering their heads as Barry used his super speed to move up and down the salmon ladder at blazing speed. The sound of the metal bar falling into the rungs over and over make a light clanking sound as he did so.

"So…how many times does Oliver do this?" Caitlin asked her lower jaw dropping as she continued to watch Barry. No matter how many times they saw how quickly Barry moved, it was still astonishing.

"Every Wednesday or so," Felicity mumbled in reply, just as mesmerized. "There's a lot of sweating."

"I'll bet," Caitlin remarked.

"You think he might overdo it a little?" Cadence rested her chin in her hands as she watched Barry. She then leaned back in her seat as he dropped to the ground without having even broken a sweat, glancing at the bar that rested in his hands.

"I don't see what's so hard about that," he remarked, turning to hand it to Cisco, who had been waiting for his chance at the workout machine. He dropped into an empty seat, moving slowly across the room.

Cadence rolled her eyes lightly before crossing her arms over her chest to turn back to Barry. "Of course you don't, Tholly. You can do anything within a blink of an eye; it's not going to be _that_ hard." Barry raised an eyebrow at her and she mimicked the movement before playfully sticking her tongue out at him, which he then mimicked. She then turned back to Cisco. "Don't hurt yourself," she warned him.

"Don't be such a mom, Mom," Brady called back to her, carefully standing a far distance off to the side so that he could watch Cisco's attempt.

"I just don't want anything to happen to the guy that made my suit." Her smile widened a little as she held onto the goggle that now sat around her neck, resting against her chest. "And put enough faith in me to come up with multiple superhero names for me."

"It's no problem," Cisco gasped as he leapt up onto the salon ladder, holding up his body weight with just his arms. Unlike Oliver, Roy, Barry and Cadence, who had to work out daily to keep themselves in top shape it wasn't in Cisco's job description. He grunted as he tried to pull himself up. "No…problem…at all." He gritted his teeth and sucked in as much air as he could muster.

Felicity smiled before sucked in a deep breath, tilting her head back. "You know…I don't think it was a good idea for you guys to come," she finally said. "Oliver…he doesn't really play well with others."

"That's not true," Cadence said then smiled innocently. "Oh, you meant fighting with other people?"

"Oh come on," Cisco started to shake as he tried, and failed, to pull himself up. He dropped back to the ground. "Oliver and Barry are in a league of their own and they worked well together the last time Oliver was in Central City."

"Yeah," Barry agreed with a wave of his hand. "I'm sure it's no problem."

"But it was, like, a onetime thing," Felicity continued.

Now Barry sighed loudly as he pulled himself up from his seat. He stretched his arms over his heat. "The guy was throwing around exploding boomerangs and if we couldn't stop him before, then Oliver needed some help." He paused and placed his gloved hands on his stomach. "I'm hungry. I need some sushi."

"Get me some!" Cadence called before he raced out of sight. She turned back to the salmon ladder and watched Brady dangle off the floor as he held tightly onto the bar. His legs gently swung back and forth and she watched as he looked down for a moment before letting go, crashing to the floor. Felicity and Caitlin reacted with shock and she just gave a patient sigh as he pulled himself off to his feet and dusted off his hands. "You know, a lot of people wondered if I ever worried about you becoming a mama's boy. But then you do things like that and I stop worrying."

Brady stuck his tongue out at her as he continued to dust off his palms.

The sound of a door closed and the girls turned to see Oliver, Roy, Diggle, and a woman neither Cadence nor Caitlin had ever seen before come into the Arrow Cave. Cadence took one look at Oliver's face and knew he was doing his best to conceal his fury. He looked at the woman, noticing how her eyes narrowed when she spotted Cadence, looked at Diggle, who held a similar expression on his face that Oliver held. Then her eyes landed on Roy and he gave a shadow of a smile and Cadence beat him to the start of the conversation.

"Looks to me like you needed saving from the Big Bad Wolf, Little Red," she called to him.

"So you're saying the Lumberjack had to come save me?"

She frowned, a little offended. "Who are you calling a lumberjack?"

"You said it, not me."

Clearing her throat, the woman that was with them spoke up, "I don't think we've met," she said to Cadence.

At the light sigh under Caitlin's breath, the fire metahuman realized it probably would have been a good idea to have changed out of her suit before the others had gotten back. "I'm Cadence; this is my son, Brady."

"Hi." Brady waved to her.

"So what happened?" Felicity asked. No one got a chance to respond before the wind blew one more, sending Felicity's papers all over the place and causing Caitlin to purse her lips as she moved her hair back behind her face. "Seriously?" she snapped towards him.

Barry, who had just sat down, flinched at the bit of anger that turned his way. "What? I'm just eating dinner."

"Secret Identity!" Caitlin now snapped towards him.

 _Yeah, like that makes a difference now, Cait,_ Cadence thought as she made a face. She turned towards her friend and said as much, causing the bioengineer to give her a disapproving look. _Geez and I thought my motherly looks of warning were harsh._ She actually felt herself backing down as if she had just been told off. Though judging by Caitlin's smile she may as well have been.

"Oh…" Barry looked down at the chopsticks that sat in his hand. "Well, it's okay. They're married!"

"We're not married," Diggle and Layla said in unison, with the same tone of contempt in their voices.

"Okay. Well, he told her about me."

"I keep secrets for a living, man. I don't tell anyone anything."

 _At least he had the smarts to look guilty,_ Cadence thought in amusement as she watched Barry go back to his sushi. She then noticed something. "Hey! What about my dinner?"

"I ate it on the way back, but don't worry, I got you some water." He tossed the plastic bottle to her, which she caught with one hand. At least he remembered that she had to stay hydrated or else she would then overheat. "By the way," he said to Layla. "I'm Barry Allen. Or the Flash if you prefer."

" _Anyway!"_ Oliver said through gritted teeth. He turned back to the plastic baggie that Diggle had been holding. Watching as he dumped it out onto the counter in front of him and the rest of the Arrow team. "We need a location on Digger Harkness." He then pointed to Barry before turning his finger and beckoned towards him. "And I need to talk to Barry."

Though she hadn't been called Cadence followed along with them, knowing by extension she was potentially part of his problem. "Look, I appreciate your help, Barry. But things work differently here in Starling City, things are meaner…more dangerous."

"I've studied everything you've taught me," Barry insisted. "I don't go in blind; I study each and every scenario. You helped me out a lot when it came to these guys a few months ago, let me return the favor."

Sucking in a deep breath through his nose, Oliver glanced towards the ceiling for a long, tense moment. He was obviously running every scenario through his head of what would happen if Barry did help him out. Finally he let out a long sight and relented, immediately causing Barry to grin. "Okay, fine, but we're doing things my way this time. Now, the first thing we have to do is reassemble the evidence—" He barely got the last word out of his mouth before Barry zipped to the other side of the room and put together the boomerang that had exploded earlier that night.

"He does that a lot," Cadence remarked.

"I figured."

"These boomerangs weren't made by him," Cisco said after a moment of studying the boomerangs that sat in front of him. He thought for a moment. "Marcos."

"Who's Marcos?" Brady questioned.

Reaching out a hand, Cisco ran it along the side of the boomerang. "Do you see the grooves in the side of this? It's a collapsible node design. It's his signature, that's his giveaway."

Felicity turned and headed towards her computer. She typed loudly for a few moments before a mug shot came up on the screen. "It says here there's no known home address or place of employment. But he was arrested last year by an Officer Quentin Lance."

"Looks like that's where we're headed tomorrow," Oliver declared. "There' nothing we can do right now. We'll get some sleep and regroup tomorrow."

"Really?" Barry's shoulders slumped. "Because I was thinking we could—"

Oliver glared at him.

"Tomorrow's good."

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, I realized that canon has made it so that Caitlin and Ronnie knew each other before they knew Cisco, but I wrote _Flash Fire_ before we knew that so in this fic Cisco got them together. And that's that! Well, a chapter on Cisco and showcasing his relationship with Caitlin as well as a little more of his friendship with Cadence.

But finally the Arrow part of the crossover. This isn't going to take as long as it did in the last story, but I'm excited for it as I already have some pretty cool ideas. And brining in Arrow characters is always fun. Just because they're in Starling doesn't mean Barry's completely done with the Black Flash or that Captain Cold and Heat Wave won't be up to something.

Thanks for being so patient while waiting for my update, guys.

Thanks to _Guest, Dragonfan47, and Alisha Winchester Collins_ for reviewing.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	7. He Didn't Know What To Do

**.:7:.**

* * *

Harrison leaned back in his seat and placed his hands on his stomach. His blue eyes trained on the wall across the room from him as a pensive look came across his face. To anyone that stumbled upon him in his home, at least, they would've seen pensive. Instead, he was able to perfectly mask the anger that was rolling through his body in surfable waves. Not just because of the Black Flash making its appearance, not because of the danger it was currently putting Barry in, but because he hadn't seen it coming in a sense. Not to say he had to know _everything_ that went on in everyone else's lives, but it would've been nice to know about that danger when he had the chance.

Not to mention he was still very aware that the Assassination Bureau and the Suicide Squad weren't completely disbanded and there was a chance they could return. He was angry that his co-workers suddenly went shuttling off to Starling City without mentioning to him when or why they would be going. There was so much going on in Central City they couldn't afford to do that. If they truly wanted to help Oliver Queen get control over Digger Harkness and whatever else was running around over there, that was fine, they just needed to let him know first. Mostly so that he wouldn't find himself in the predicament he currently was, with Joe standing off to the left of him with a notepad open in his hand and waiting for his response to what he had just told him.

"I'm sorry, could you please repeat your question," Harrison said, turning back to the two detectives. "Do I think that Brady is in any danger?" He did his best to keep from his natural reaction to cross his legs on their own. Instead, he bent down and made a show of lifting his right leg over his left one. He leaned back and trained his cold blue eyes on the two men once more.

Joe cleared his throat as he shifted his feet. "I'm not accusing anyone of anything," he reminded Harrison. "I just want to get some answers. Despite my word that things are okay with Cadence and Brady, his safety is still being questioned. Especially considering he was seen getting on a midnight bus and demanded to be taken to STAR Labs, your facility." Harrison's mouth twitched at the corner for a moment. His silence causing Joe to cross his arms. "Look, I already talked to Captain Singh and tried to let him know there was nothing wrong that night, but the bus driver has insisted that we call Child Protective Services—"

"Child Protective Services?" Harrison repeated, his eyebrows suddenly flying upwards.

Though he managed to keep his cool within the face of a lot of things was the most surprising. He knew the implications of the message of CPS being called meant. It was something he and Tess had talked about a lot when they had gotten pregnant with Cadence; not because they were essentially worried about it, but because of the nature of their work and the long hours that was put in they were sure at some point someone was bound to get the wrong impression about their work and their parenting skills. It may have been a bit of a paranoid thought but they were being realistic.

"It's not my call, but considering how the CCPD had investigated Michael Bloom in Brady's kidnapping, knowing that she's a single mother, and then finding out that he was running around on his own past city curfew they feel that it is best that things be checked out."

"So what is it that you want from me, Detective West?" There was a hint of malice in his voice. Not that Joe knew the truth, that he was feeling nothing but incredible amounts of anxiety, of wanting to protect Cadence. True, he hadn't been able to be in her life the way he had always wanted, but she was his daughter and he was going to do his best to make sure she was protected. It was all he could do to make up for lost time.

"I just want some answers," Joe replied calmly. He suddenly appeared tired. "I don't want this as much as you do, all because we understand what it is that has been going on. But we can't tell everyone about metahumans not to mention I'll be investigated myself if I don't go through with Captain Singh's orders."

"Well, considering the things that I can't tell anyone else, I can understand why his safety would be questioned from time to time," Harrison said slowly. "However, when it comes to the things that I _can_ tell others, I can honestly say there is no one I know that is a better parent." _Including myself._ He didn't say that part out loud; there were still some secrets that had to be kept within STAR Labs and those that were within their vigilante work of Starling City. If anyone else was to find out, it would be on their own time and when they felt it was needed to know.

"Thank you." Joe flipped his notebook shut and turned to walk away.

"Detective West," Harrison called after him, causing the African-American man to stop and turned back towards him. "Do you mind pushing my wheelchair over here?" He leaned forward, resting his hands in his lap. "I have a sudden need to go visit my old home."

"Your old home?" Joe repeated, eyes shifting for a moment. "Where?"

"Starling City."

* * *

"So while Barry and Oliver go to get information from Captain Lance we're just supposed to go Christmas shopping?" Catlin asked as she lifted her head from putting on her earring. She turned around to face Cadence, who was walking around the hotel room, picking up discarded sheets from the floor where Cisco and Barr had slept on the floor the night before. Unfortunately, Barry's room hadn't been figured out as of the last night and Caitlin and Cisco hadn't counted on the issue with Digger taking so long that they didn't think to get a hotel room. Brady had been quick to give up his bed for Caitlin to use so that he could sleep on the floor with the other boys.

Despite the snoring they had all managed to fit comfortably in the one room.

"Don't you think that's kind of weird? There has to be something else that we can do."

"If there's one thing I've learned from being in the Assassination Bureau it's that you don't dwell on things that you could or should be doing," Cadence explained. "You just go with what is good for you at the moment. Follow orders." She folded the sheets and walked them over to the closet. "It's not good to act like life doesn't still go on."

Caitlin was about to agree when everything happened in a sudden flurry of motion. She heard the door to the closet open, Cadence's shriek, and Brady's laughter before she saw Cadence suddenly teleported to the other side of the room, holding a hand to her chest. "Brady!"

"Gotcha, mom!" Brady declared, climbing out of the closet.

"Ugh." The fire metahuman waved a hand in front of her face to wave away the smoke that had erupted around her. "You made me smoke!" She crossed the room in a few strides and reached out, tickling him along the stomach and ribs. "Don't do that again." She ruffled his hair and lightly swatted him on the butt. "Get your shoes on, we're going out shopping."

"Presents!" Brady cried, his eyes growing wide. "I know what I want this year!" He quickly dashed over to his shoes and shoved them onto his feet. "C'mon, let's go! Let's go! We're missing valuable shopping time."

Caitlin laughed and grabbed her purse from the back of the chair and slung it over her shoulder. She followed Cadence and Brady out of the hotel room and over to the one that Iris and Eddie was sharing. Cadence barely had to knock before the door was opened and the young couple came out, already dressed in their warm clothes.

"Let's go! I'm ready to see what Starling City has in store for us," Iris beamed. She looped her arm through Eddie's and the group headed out of the hotel, hailed a taxi van into the center of the city, and started their walk around Starling City to find Christmas gifts. "Keep an eye out for something for Dad," Iris said to Eddie, leaning into his side. "I think if you get him something to, he'll warm up to your more."

"How much more warm can he be?" Eddie asked with a light laugh. "We're great as partners and I've proven that I'm protecting you very well. What else does he need?" He grinned at his girlfriend and Caitlin and Iris exchanged a knowing glance.

"That means you have no idea what to get him for Christmas doesn't it?" Caitlin asked him. He flushed lightly, causing Cadence, Iris, and Caitlin all to laugh at him.

"That's alright, finding a gift for the parents of anyone is always difficult," Cadence reassured him. "I mean, I still don't know what to get my Mom and Dad every year." Caitlin wanted to ask if she ever had gotten them a gift since she was kicked out but realized it would be the worst time to ask. A sudden wind blew and Caitlin's eyebrows furrowed when she noticed Eddie, Brady, and Iris shiver, pulling their coats on even tighter though she and Cadence didn't seem to feel it. Cadence, as she understood, had a higher body temperature and with her powers she didn't get as cold as quickly, but why wasn't she so affected?

"Mom?" Brady moved faster to keep up with his mother's pace and lightly tugged on the bottom of her light sweater. "Should I get something for Ryder?"

Caitlin held her breath. She didn't think Eddie and Iris knew about Brady being Cadence's son. But if they were surprised they didn't show it. Instead, Iris cleared her throat and asked. "Who's Ryder?"

"My Dad," Brady piped up. "He came with us to Central City." He turned back to his mother with wide eyes, still waiting for her answer on whether or not he should get him a Christmas gift. The fire metahuman chewed her lower lip as she thought about it.

"You can do what you want," she finally replied. "If you think you want to get him a gift, then go ahead and pick him out a gift." Brady nodded but didn't say anything else. His face was screwed up in a serious expression that Caitlin could only guess meant that he was thinking about what to get the man he barely knew.

They stopped into a high end store and looked around the pieces that had been laid out. Caitlin scanned over the watches, twisting her mouth back and forth as she studied them. Her mind immediately switched over towards Harrison. _Would he want this as a gift?_ She asked herself, looking over the watch. _He's a stickler for being on time but I don't think I've ever seen him wear a watch so much. Then again, Caitlin, you're not really sure the kind of things he's really into as it is. You don't really spend much time together talking._ She felt her face flush and used the movement of moving her hair from her face to hide it.

"Watches huh?" Iris asked, coming up to her side. "Is it for your Dad?"

"Dr. Wells," Caitlin replied without thinking about it. She quickly backtracked, trying to hold her nerves in. "I mean…Cisco and I were talking about what to get him this year, but I'm not really sure." She looked over towards Cadence who was studying boxes that held matching ties, cufflinks, and pocket hankies. "What do you think, Cade?"

She turned around and glanced at the watches. "He doesn't really go for things like that. He's kind of…simple. I was going to get him a new set of clothes or something." She shrugged. It was then Caitlin knew she was having just as much trouble figuring out a gift as she was. She had seen Harrison Wells as a family friend that appeared at a few of her birthdays, maybe a Christmas here or there, maybe a science fair, but didn't really know about him in the fatherly way he wanted to come across towards her. To keep the tension at bay, she turned to Eddie. "We need a man's perspective, what do you think Dr. Wells would want as a gift?"

Eddie's eyes widened for a moment as he thought about it. He didn't really know much about Dr .Wells, never having really met him himself. But he was a man, he could figure out _something_ that all men wanted. "You can do a lot of things for a gift. I think the watch is the best way to go, but if that's not really his thing then you can give him some sort of an electronic; an ebook reader. Maybe some clothes; a cardigan?"

"Would you give my _Dad_ a cardigan?" Iris asked Eddie with an incredulous look on her face. As he tried to stammer an answer she laughed, placing her hand on his chest. "Babe, _Barry_ wears cardigans."

"So I'll get one for Barry," Eddie said easily. Brady laughed to himself, easily noticing Eddie's plight. "For Joe I'll get him a new box of ammo that he can threaten me with, I'm sure he'll have a good time with that." Even though he was kidding, Caitlin could see a little bit of fear in his eyes. Caitlin wouldn't put it past Detective West if he had already threatened Eddie with a shot just for knowing they were dating.

"I think I'll just get him the watch," Caitlin decided on the spur of the moment. It wasn't a gift from her and Cisco anyway; it was a gift from her. Which was just as nerve wracking. She had no idea what they were, they hadn't talked about giving each other gifts and now there she was, picking one out without a second of thought.

Noticing movement out of the corner of her eye, Caitlin noticed that Iris suddenly shivered, bringing her hands up to her shoulders and hugging them tightly. "Ooh! You'd think by now they would know it's not a good idea to blast the air conditioner. It's so cold already."

She immediately flashed back to the same thing being said when they were in the fight against the Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau. There were times where she had suddenly become cold or someone around her had mentioned a chance in temperature. Harrison had even implied something…The sudden realization startled her and she dropped the watch, nearly cracking it as it fell back onto the display.

"Are you okay, Caitlin?" Eddie asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She jumped. Not because of her physical attraction to him that she thought had gone away—not that she would even think of trying something, she wasn't a cheater (would it even be considered cheating?) and she only attracted to him physically there wasn't anything else there—but because if there _was_ something going on, she didn't want to hurt him on accident. Most of it could have been chalked up to a coincidence but it was better to be sure than to not know.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Caitlin said quickly. She caught Cadence's eye and one look from the metahuman let her know she wasn't believed. Lowering her head, Caitlin walked to the register to pay for the watch being careful not to touch the cashier directly. Okay, so we she was starting to become paranoid, but she couldn't help it.

Who knew what could happen.

"Mom, maybe we can give this to Ryder?" Brady suggested picking up a leather bound wallet with a chain on it.

"I think that's a good choice, bud," Cadence said and handed over a bill and he went up to the counter to pay for it. Caitlin gave a small smile and held onto her bad as tightly as she could, noticing it was starting to shake. She really did not feel well. A warm hand on her wrist calmed her down a bit and she turned to find Cadence standing next to her. "What's wrong?" She asked her.

"I don't know," Caitlin admitted under her breath so that Eddie and Iris didn't hear them. Which was strange because she suddenly felt a whole lot better. The anxiety was gone, she wasn't shaking anymore. She didn't know for sure but she had the feeling that Cadence was using her healing powers to help her in some way. "I just…I suddenly felt so wrong."

"Let's get out of here then, get you something to eat. I doubt having nothing but coffee for breakfast helped out so much." Cadence removed her hand before looping her arm through her friends. "Dr. Snow, I'm prescribing you to eat something."

"Whatever you say, Dr. Nash," Caitlin replied and grinned at her friend, causing her to smile back. Then their cell phones buzzed with a message from Cisco that immediately caught their attention. They got a pinpoint on Marcos and they were going to head in to flush him out of his hide out. "Actually, that's probably a good idea." She raised her voice and turned to Eddie and Iris. "We're going to get something to eat. We kind of woke up late and didn't get a chance for some breakfast. Why don't you guys keep shopping for a while and we'll meet back up with you."

"Oh, well, if you're sure," Iris replied. "If you see Barry, tell him that I'm looking for him."

"No problem. Thanks for inviting us out, Iris," Cadence said to her. "Even though it was pretty short, I had a good time." Iris grinned and nodded, returning the sentiments and waved as Cadence tightened her grasp along Caitlin's arm and took Brady's hand before leaving the store. She walked for a few moments before looking around. "Coast clear?"

"Coast clear," Caitlin replied.

They teleported back to the Arrow Cave.

* * *

Barry raced through the streets of Starling City. Even though he had the speed, he was running a little late meeting up with Roy, Cadence, and Oliver. He hadn't had a lot of time to search the city the last time he had been there, helping Oliver, Diggle, and Felicity with their issue, while discovering Oliver's identity as the Arrow. As he went, shooting around street corner and starting back towards the coordinates once more, he felt a cold chill run down his spine.

For a moment he hoped that when he twisted his head around to see what it was that had caused the chill that he would see Captain Cold had suddenly managed to take on powers of speed and was shooting his cold gun at him. No. He couldn't be so lucky. Looking behind him he found the Black Flash on his trail, its menacing grin placed upon him as it continued to race along as hard as it could. Barry gritted his teeth and pumped his arms and legs as hard as he could, hoping to put some distance between them.

"You' can't out run me!" The Black Flash declared.

 _Just watch me,_ Barry thought. He sucked in a deep breath and put out another burst of speed, dodging back and forth along the streets of Starling City, moving out of the way of cars and people that came into his way, hoping to lose the Black Flash. But it continued to stay right behind him, far enough way to keep Barry feeling the pressure, but not close enough to catch him. Barry continued to run and run and as he took another corner and went straight towards the area where the others were waiting he felt the presence as was gone. He came to a stop in front of Oliver, Roy, and Cadence, placing his hands on his knees as he fought to catch his breath.

"Are you okay?" Cadence asked, noticing as he looked over his shoulder every now and then. "Barry, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Barry shook his head, standing up straight and bringing his hands to his hips. He shook his head. "Nothing…it's nothing." He then caught his breath and looked around at the abandoned area they were standing in, streetlamps illuminating a few patches in orange light. "So this is where he's supposed to be?" He shook his head and regarded Oliver with a grin. "I can't believe you're a member of the Russian Mob."

"What?!" Cadence's eyes widened behind her goggles.

"It's a long story," Roy said.

"Former member," Oliver corrected him. "Probably. We had a falling out last year." He looked around at the cars that sat around them, blocking them off from view of the entrance they were standing beside. "This is where they run their cyber crime operation." He looked over his shoulder as Diggle walked up to eth group in a few quick strides.

"Clinch the coast everywhere," he said.

Oliver nodded and came up with a quick plan of attack. "Roy, take the southeast corner. Cadence the southwest. Barry, scan the perimeter." Barry nodded and shot out of the area, circling the perimeter a few times and taking out anyone that came his way. He finally came to a stop after knocking out a bunch of men that were standing guard and turned around to find Oliver standing behind him, arm pulling back at the string of his bow, pointing an arrow at him.

He grinned. "I had eight seconds to kill!" Oliver let out a low growl under his breath as he relaxed his stance and walked over to the men to examine them. Barry's shoulders slumped as Oliver's gaze swept over him in a harsh glare. "Was that wrong?" Still, Oliver didn't respond as he moved by Barry and slowly headed inside. "What?" Twisting his mouth to the side, Barry followed Oliver inside before taking off once more.

He spotted Marcos, who tried to get up from his seat, and moved into his way. "My friend wants to have a word with you," he said as Marcos stared at him, eyes wide. All of a sudden there was a whistling sound as Roy's arrow shot by Marcos's head, imbedding the tip into the wall. Roy came around from a corner and pointed another arrow at him. Marcos turned to try and run and got struck in the jaw with a hard punch from Cadence, effectively blocking him off.

Oliver finally came up on Marcos's last side and stalked towards him, holding one up of Digger's boomerangs. "You made this for Digger Harkness," he growled, voice distorted with his voice modifier. "I want to know where he is!"

"Go to hell," Marcos replied with a hint of smugness in his voice.

In return, Oliver picked up an Arrow and shot it towards Marcos. The man screamed as the arrow embedded itself into his shoulder. Barry gasped, eyes widened as he took a step back from Marcos. He first looked over at Roy, who continued to watch the spectacle as if it were something he faced all the time, which in reality it was. Then he looked over at Cadence, silently pleading with her and she looked back at him, her right eyebrow ticking upwards for a second but she didn't make a move to stop Oliver either. Looking down at her hands, he could see the fingertips starting to turn orange, ready to use her powers in case the time came.

Barry gasped again, lower jaw dropping.

Oliver walked over towards Marcos, hand sticking out. "The only thing that hurts worse than an arrow going in is an arrow coming out!" His words increased in power and volume as he grabbed onto the arrow and started to pull, causing Marcos to scream one more.

"W-What are you doing?" He managed to get out.

"Getting some information!" Oliver snapped back. He kept his eyes trained on Marcos. "WHERE IS HE?"

"I don't know!" Marcos cried. But Oliver continued to pull not he arrow.

"He says he doesn't know," Barry insisted once Oliver continued to pull on the arrow, increasing the tortured screams of pain that came from his victim. He stared at Oliver, watching as there was no expression on the man's face as he waited for the truth to come out of Digger's accomplice.

"He's lying!" Oliver continued. "If you want to be able to raise your arm again, tell me _where he is!"_

Roy closed his eyes and turned his head away.

Cadence let out a breath through her nose and flexed her fingers.

"Here!" Marcos cried, holding up a phone with his free hand. "Here! He gave me this! It's encrypted. I had an order ready for him. I called he came. I don't know where he is, I swear." Whether from the pain or from fear, Marcos started to cry. "I swear!"

Oliver took the phone from his hand and motioned to Barry. The Flash grabbed onto Marcos and raced him to the SCPD, placing him in Captain Lance's office and grabbed a pair of handcuffs, linking him to the filing cabinet in the corner of the room, and then shot back to the warehouse, pulling his hood down. Now that there was no one around, they didn't have to worry about keeping their identities secret. Oliver, Roy, and Cadence followed suit.

"You tortured that guy," Barry said to Oliver, staring at him as if he had just been slapped across the face.

"I interrogated him," Oliver corrected the speedy metahuman.

 _Interrogated? What?_ Barry stared at his friend before taking in a deep breath releasing it in an incredulous sound. He couldn't keep this quiet. He had to say something. What Oliver had just done was wrong. "When my friends said your tactics made you a criminal I defended you because I thought you were supposed to be a hero." Oliver shifted his gaze away, setting his jaw. "That you were supposed to be better than them."

"There's a difference between wanting to get information and putting ourselves in danger," Roy came to his mentor's defense. He tightened his grip on his bow. "There are some times that we have to do thing that may be unorthodox to be sure that we can close down a case before someone innocent gets hurt."

"Like you did with him?" Barry shot back. "You don't have to work like that! There are other things you can do!"

"Barry." The steel in Oliver's voice immediately caught the attention of the younger vigilante. "You live in Central City where it's sunny all the time and your enemies get cute nicknames." He took a step closer towards Barry and glared at him with such intensity that Barry had to take a step back in fear that he was going to be hit. "You're not in Central City. I live in a city where my best friend was murdered, where a woman that I loved got shot full of arrows and went tumbling off of a roof top, where my mother was murdered right in front of me. So before you—"

"—my mother was murdered in front of me, too." Barry's interruption caused Oliver to falter for a moment. His face softened for a moment, realizing there was something the two of them had in common, but then Barry continued with as much emotion as Oliver. "But I don't use my personal tragedies as an excuse to just torture whoever pisses me off."

"Barry," Cadence called in warning.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Barry. I'm not as emotionally healthy as you are." Oliver started to leave the underground lair with Oliver trailing behind him. He started to check Barry with his shoulder, but then stepped aside so that he didn't run into the young man, and continued. Roy looked over at Barry and Cadence before following his friend.

"What's wrong with you?" Barry managed to choke out.

Oliver whipped around and pointed at the metahuman. "When we agreed that you were staying it was on my terms. If it is proving too difficult for you, you know your way back to Central City!" He and Roy left.

Barry lifted his arms then slapped them back to his side. He turned towards Cadence, who had her arms crossed over her chest. "I can't believe this! Why didn't you back me up?" He demanded, walking toward her. Her next words caused him to stop in his tracks.

"Because he's right," she said simply.

"Wha…?"

"We're not in Central City, Barry," Cadence said, repeating Oliver's words. "Things don't work the same way here as they did there. And in general!" She paused for a moment. "You can't go around thinking that everyone is a human that there is good in everyone that does bad things! There are people out there that are nothing but pure evil and they will do any and everything to do what they want to do without a thought to the people they are hurting or killing in the process and the best way to deal with them is to get rid of them." Her eyes searched Barry's as a moment of silence stretched between them. "Sometimes it's hard decision to make but you have to make that decision before someone else gets hurt."

"Is that what you did?" Barry asked. "Is that what you had to do within the Assassination Bureau? Is that what you had to do to try and justify trying to kill me?"

Anger flashed through Cadence's eyes like a flame and she stepped up to him before reaching out and shoving him in the chest. "As a matter of fact, yes! Many times it was something that I had to do! For my own reasons!" She took a deep breath before continuing, her voice getting louder and louder with each word. "I got rid of many evil in some ways that you don't want to think about all because I knew what would happen if I didn't! It's the way the world works, not everything is going to go your way, not everything is going to work the way you think it should, and not everything is going to be right. The sooner you realize that the sooner you'll stop being selfish and think that your way is the best way!" She took a step back. "Or else you're going to end up killed."

She teleported from the lair and Barry turned away, running his hands into the air.

He didn't know what to do.

* * *

 **A/N:** Whoo, got another chapter done in the Arrow verse of Flarrow. To those wondering there will be some more laid-back/humor/friendship/family/romance moments coming along in the Arrowverse within the next few chapters.

To be honest there are many times where I've felt like not continuing the story despite how much I love it. I'm not getting a lot of feedback for the story and it can be pretty discouraging, I'm not the kind of person that will ever hold a story hostage for reviews but some kind words can be pretty motivating. But thanks to _Alisha Winchester Collins and Guest_ who reviewed the last chapter.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	8. Bad News Bearer

**.:8:.**

* * *

Barry sighed as he sat atop the roof of Verdant, looking out over Starling City. There wasn't much to see, really, he had already zipped around the city to get an idea of what it had to offer and…nothing. There were no robberies to stop, no car chases to join in on, no muggings, no fights at all. It was as if people actually went to work and did what they were supposed to do during the day and went nuts and did bad things at night. What sort of life was that? Who wanted to sit around doing their regular stuff and not fight metahumans and people at all hours of the day? It was exciting!

But, that was the difference between Starling City and Central City wasn't it? _It's what Oliver is trying to shove down your throat, Barry; you can't forget that,_ he reminded himself. With a light shake of his head he stretched out his legs over the edge of the building and rested his arms on his thighs, still looking around. _You have to do everything Oliver's way now…_ He snorted lightly, shaking his head. "Yeah, if torturing someone to the point of blacking out is a 'way'."

"I know you don't really understand everything I choose to do, but I'd hope that you'd at least have faith in the way I do it." Oliver's voice came from behind him. Barry twisted around, carefully bringing his legs back over onto the roof and stood up. Barry was annoyed when he saw how confident Oliver was standing, showing that he wouldn't back down on his opinion.

Barry simply shrugged in reply.

He had no idea what words he would actually use to try and show Oliver that what he was doing was wrong. Actually, he had no idea how Oliver would react; maybe he'd kill Barry too. The millionaire, or former millionaire as it was, had been on an island for years so who knew what had happened to his psyche and what would set him off.

"So…your mother was murdered in front of you, too," Oliver said. He walked over to Barry then by him, looking out over the city. "I'd say 'welcome to the club' but it's not one that most people are happy to have a membership in."

"What do you want, Oliver?" Barry finally asked.

"To understand you a bit more…for you to understand me. I don't think you understand that there is a difference in the way our cities run, from the cities in general to the people within them and…while I could see that your emotional response to what you had seen last night is _your_ reaction, I don't see things the same way." Oliver cleared his throat and turned back towards Barry. "You see, in _my_ city, I don't let anyone run around longer than they have to. I don't allow them to pull one over on me over and over again."

"So you've been doing this longer than I have, I get it," Barry said stubbornly. He was starting to hate the way Oliver was talking to him, talking _down_ to him. "And this isn't _your_ city," he added, shooting the vigilante back with his own low blow. It was childish but he didn't care. If Oliver was going to treat him like a kid, then he would treat _Oliver_ like a kid. "Not since you lost your fortune."

Oliver's lips twitched. "I'm going to let that one slide because I know you're upset," he said then cleared his throat. "My mother died because of Slade Wilson, because of something that had happened between us when I was on the island. I watched as she gave her life up for me and Thea, and Slade put a sword directly through her chest."

"The same thing happened to my Mom," Barry said with a light nod of his head. "I was younger than you, but I had come downstairs to see this…Man in Yellow swirling around the room, keeping Mom from getting to safety and she was stabbed as well." He raised his arms before slapping them to his sides. "And yet, I'm not going on a rampage and killing off everyone that comes my way."

"Really?" Oliver's eyebrows rose for a moment.

"Really."

"So you _don't_ have a vendetta against any…metahumans that may have something to do with your mother's death or may have some knowledge about it?" Oliver shook his head. "I know that your motivation through all of this is to get your father out of jail and to find your mother's murder, you've told me before. And I do think you have the right to do so, but when you treat everyone else around as some sort of a _game_ then you're not going to see the big picture."

"And what is that big picture, Oliver?" Barry shot back. "That they're all disposable and if they have no use to you to just let them go? To kill them? To 'put the fear of God' into them?" He rolled his eyes. "That's not the way—"

"—what do either of us know about the 'right way', Barry?" Oliver interrupted. That caught him off guard. "What does _anyone_ know about doing things the right way? Do you think I would be doing this if I _hadn't_ gotten onto that boat? If my father hadn't died…if everything hadn't happened?" He thought for a moment. "I probably would have inherited everything from my Mom and Dad as they retired, Thea and I would probably still be absolute spoiled brats, and I'm sure I wouldn't be able to have even an iota of the sorts of relationships I would have."

"Oh you mean Felicity?" Barry nodded as if he understood everything. "Yeah, it certainly would have kept things from being awkward around you because of our kiss."

Oliver blinked for a moment then his eyes narrowed. "You two kissed?" He asked.

Realizing his mistake, Barry laughed nervously, running a hand over the back of his hand before waving his hands. "It wasn't…it's not anything to worry about. I mean it's not like it was…" he trailed off and quickly changed the subject. "Don't you think that if this didn't happen you wouldn't have the friends that you have now? Diggle, Roy, Felicity…"

"I think I should ask you the same thing," Oliver pointed out. "Do you really think you would have had the chance to meet Cisco, Caitlin, and Cadence…"he took a light breath. "Or Dr. Wells if the Particle Accelerator explosion hadn't happened?" He reached out a hand and placed it on Barry's shoulder. "If I didn't think there was something special about you or what you can bring to Central City, Barry, I wouldn't have any faith in you or your abilities. I didn't question that when we were in Central City and I can only hope that you do the same for me while we're here in Starling City."

Barry lowered his gaze to the ground as Oliver removed his hand and walked away.

* * *

"Is there any reason why you're dancing around the Arrow Cave like that?" Roy asked, his eyes following Cadence as she glided across the concrete floor to an invisible beat.

"Not that we're complaining," Cisco added quickly causing Caitlin to elbow him in the side. He flashed her a charming smile and she gently shook her head, turning back to Felicity, who was leaning back in her seat, shaking her head as well.

"I'm a Zumba instructor," Cadence explained, still moving around in dance moves. She then pitched herself into a pirouette, whipping her head around to stare at a fixed point. "I had to take some time off from teaching classes to come here."

"Zumba instructor?" Felicity repeated, her eyebrows rising. She turned around in her seat, carefully dragging her heels across the floor. "I kind of pegged you more as the…librarian type."

With a light laugh, Cadence stopped her movements by planting her feet firmly on the ground. "Thanks for that," she remarked. "I've had people telling me I should be a librarian for years, mostly to fulfill fantasies." She held up her hand. "As for Zumba, don't knock it. It has great benefits. I get health coverage, a 401k, seen paid days off, eleven paid holidays, and only work 30 hours as week. Plus it doesn't seem like much happens here unless it's night time."

"And all of your other time is spent chasing down metahumans?" Lyla asked from where she stood on the other side of the ArrowCave. When Cadence nodded her eyebrows rose for a moment before she turned at the sound of footsteps and found Oliver walking down the steps of the club to the ArrowCave, Barry wooshing in a second later as he sat a few meters away from everyone. "Is everything okay?" Lyla asked Oliver.

When Oliver didn't response quickly, Felicity slowly moved to stand up. "Oliver? What's up?"

"Nothing," Oliver said. He turned his gaze to Caitlin and Cisco. "But something tells me that you all didn't get permission to leave Central City to come here."

Cisco laughed loudly, a nervous laugh. "Ha! What…what makes you say that?" His smile faded as Oliver stepped aside and Harrison slowly wheeled himself forward across the floor of the ArrowCave. "Ah…oh…Dr. Wells."

"Dr. Wells!" Caitlin immediately stood up, chewing her bottom lip. "What are you doing here?"

"And how much trouble are we in?" Cisco added, getting elbowed once more.

"Well, when I'm aware that my only staff didn't show up to work it can be very worrying." He clasped his hands together in his lap, evenly looking around at Barry, Cadence, Caitlin, and Cisco. "And if it is that you all had to leave so quickly there was only one place that would make sense for you to leave to." His eyes then shifted over to Oliver, Felicity, Roy, Diggle, and Lyla. Oliver stared back at him. "However I am unsure as to why."

"You see…" Caitlin swallowed hard. "Captain Boomerang showed up in Starling City and…because Oliver and the others had helped us so much when they were in Central City we thought that we could help them here in Starling."

Instead of responding to the explanation, Harrison turned his attention over to Lyla and moved towards her. "I'm sorry; I don't believe we've met before." He held his hand out towards her. "Harrison Wells."

"Lyla Michaels," she replied, reaching out and shaking his hand firmly. "It's nice to meet you, Dr. Wells."

"I'm sure the pleasure is all mine, especially with the aid that you have brought to Oliver's and my team while they've been here," Harrison said. His eyes searched hers for a moment before he turned to Diggle. "Your ex-wife, I presume?" He asked.

Barry's eyebrows furrowed. "How did you know they're not together anymore? I didn't know."

"Both of them have a tan line on their ring fingers where a ring had been before," Harrison said as he turned around. "Not to mention their similarities of comfort around the handguns that are present on their waists which makes me wonder if they have ever served in the same faction of military if not police. And not to mention the way they consistently look at each other when they believe no one is paying attention." He turned back around. "Now what, may I ask, have you figured out about Captain Boomerang?"

"Digger Harkness," Oliver corrected.

"Digger Harkness."

Felicity and Oliver filled him in on what they had learned so far as well as the fight that Barry and Cadence had aided on once they arrived as well as finding out Digger's accomplice the night before.

Cadence listened quietly to all of what was said but quickly became fixated on one word; ARGUS. She hadn't realized they office they had been fighting in before had been an ARGUS office, nor did she know that Lyla was a current ARGUS member. She knew it was the head of Task Force X aka the Suicide Squad, she knew that Digger was part of the Suicide Squad having faced him in the battle along Central City. She didn't know that she was currently working alongside a member of the group, or two if Diggle was concerned, she wasn't completely sure about that.

She felt herself starting to shake. All the memories of the battle that she had downplayed, the times she had been forced to do such awful things while under control of someone else, knowing that she was under control but had her mind to know everything she was doing, but still wasn't strong enough to keep herself or others protected.

"Now that we have that figured out," Harrison turned to Cadence and looked seriously at her. If her startled appearance fazed him he didn't show it. "Where's Brady?" he asked her.

She had to think for a moment before replying with, "He's hanging out with Eddie and Iris today. Why?"

"There's something I need to talk to you about," Harrison said. He tilted his head to the side and Cadence followed him as he moved to a more secluded part of the ArrowCave. He pressed his lips together for a moment.

"I know you're probably mad that we all left without telling you, but it was Cisco's and Caitlin's idea, they left first," Cadence said and smiled when she heard Cisco's indignant cry of 'hey!'. Her smile faded when Harrison shook his head.

"That wasn't what I wanted to speak to you about though I'll admit I am a bit angry that you all decided to leave without telling me but there are more pressing matters that you need to be aware of." Harrison cleared his throat and placed his hands in his lap. For the first time since he arrived he appeared in a more relaxed state than he had been before, but still held an air of grievance. "It's about Brady."

"What about him?" Clenching her hands into fists, Cadence ran her thumbs over the knuckles of her fingers. Harrison glanced down at her hand and managed a small smile, noticing that despite their distance in life she had managed to prove one thing of nature vs. nurture by adopting his hand movement.

"Before I came out here to Starling City I got a visit from Detective West. It seems that they are launching an investigation over Brady's well-being due to a plethora of things. The time that he had been kidnapped by Michael Bloom as well as when he had gotten onto the bus to STAR Labs by himself in the middle of the night." Cadence took in a deep breath but didn't reply. "Of course you and I both know the reasons those things happened were because of metahuman interference, but the Central City Police Department, apart from Joe, don't. And because of those moments they are insisting that you and Brady are visited by Child Protective Services for a well-being check."

 _Child Protective Services….well-being check…_ Cadence rolled the two phrases in her head over and over again, trying to make sense of them. She had them said to her many times before by overbearing parents around her that thought she was too young to be a mother. From those that thought she was being selfish for deciding to keep Brady rather than give him up for adoption or give him to her parents for them to raise him as her brother. She had even thought herself that they may show up at her doorstep without a second of warning, but to know it was actually happening made a strange feeling sit in her gut.

On one hand she had no choice but to accept it, on the other if things continued to be unearthed surrounding her choices while the metahumans were at play there was a really good chance they would see that he would need to go to a more stable home. _Why did I have to take him out of school this week?_ She cured herself. They were sure to check up on his school attendance.

She should have thought of that.

"Cadence, I know you want to protect Brady at all costs and you know that Joe and I will do everything we can to make sure that nothing will happen to him," Harrison said. "But unfortunately there are some consequences we'll all have to face for our actions in our particular line of work."

"I know," Cadence managed to say through gritted teeth. She clenched her hand harder and watched as it erupted into a ball of flame before shaking out her hand. Bowering her head, she swung her hair out of her face. "It was always a risk but I knew I had to help Barry. It was only a matter of time it would catch up to me." She smiled a soft smile. "Thanks for letting me know, if this happened at home my Mom and Dad would've just said 'I told you so' and used it as a way to justify their wanting to have him. So I guess your giving me up was a good thing. Thanks."

She turned on her heel, bringing a hand up to her forehead to rub at her temples, trying to sort out her feelings—and keep from potentially burning a hole through the ground at her feet. She didn't think Oliver would be too happy about that.

"Is everything okay?"

Cadence lifted her head to find Roy standing behind her, his hands shoved into the pockets of his hoodie. Cadence blinked at him for a moment before smiling. "Yeah, everything's fine. Just some things I have to deal with when I get back to Central City."

"I don't expect it's anything that you want to really talk about."

"No, not really. Why?"

Roy smiled. "Because I have someone I think you may want to see." He took her hand and the two slipped out of the ArrowCave and up the stairs to Verdant. He pushed open the door and headed across the floor of the empty club to the petite young woman that was gathering glasses together to be watched. Hearing footsteps head her way she turned and fixed Roy with a slight glare.

"Where have you been? You were supposed to help me get things cleaned up before opening tonight!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But I ran into someone I thought you would like to see."

Cadence's eyes widened for a moment as she recognized the girl that stood in front of her. The girl she had babysat a few times as well as been mutually tortured—in childish ways—with. "Thea?" She asked.

Thea Queen turned around, the ends of her bob hitting her in the face. She carefully put her tray of glasses down before grinning herself. "Cadence!" She hurried across the floor and grabbed her in a tight hug, the two rocking back and forth. "Oh wow, it's so good to see you!"

"And it's so good to see your neck," Cadence commented before taking a step back, tilting her chin up to look into her eyes. "Since when did you get so tall? Last I remembered you were even shorter than me."

"And that's saying something," Roy commented, causing Cadence to whack her on the arm.

"I'm not talking to you, Little Red," she said then took Thea's arm again. "It's been so long. You run this nightclub with Oliver now? I hope he doesn't expect you to do all of the work."

Thea laughed lightly, bringing her hair behind her ears. "We have different jobs here. He works with the clientele and the finances and I run everything else. Though I can brag a bit about myself and say that I do run it very well. We've gotten so many people coming that we've had to turn them away due to potential fire hazards."

"Gee isn't that ironic," Roy muttered and smiled as Cadence glared at him out of the corner of her eye. "Actually, Thea, if it's not too much trouble I wanted to ask if I could get the night off tonight."

"Yeah, sure, Roy it's no problem." Thea's eyes then furrowed together as she looked back and forth between him and Cadence. "So how do you know each other?"

"Through Barry and Oliver," Roy said quickly. "You remember the guy from Central City that Oliver had met last year? She works with him."

"You work for the Central City police? Last I heard you were going on to be a doctor."

Cadence thought for a moment. It didn't seem like Thea knew what had gone on with her as time had passed. Or else she knew and wasn't saying anything to be polite. Either way it was good, Cadence didn't have to worry too much about the secrets she had to keep. It was starting to get hard. Giving up one secret to get stuck down with another one. It was starting to become exhausting.

"I am. I'm in residency right now. It's just taking me a bit longer than I thought it would to make it official. But you _can_ call me doctor; I have the degree next to my name." Cadence took in a deep breath. "Look, Thea, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch so much and that I'm sorry for the loss of your parents."

Swallowing hard, Thea nodded. "It's alright," she said. "I'm adjusting well, surprisingly. I mean, what could I want more than my own nightclub?" She took a step back to go back to work, then grabbed onto Cadence's hand again. "It really is good to see you, Cade. Come by later and we can talk some more, alright?"

"Sure thing."

Cadence watched her leave before crossing her arms and turning towards Roy, who appeared to be doing his best not to watch his ex-girlfriend. "How long ago did you two break up?"

"A couple of months," he replied. "Why?"

"Curious." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Take it from me from what I've heard; you're probably the first boyfriend that she's had that actually treated her well. And I know a lot in that department." She turned on her heel and started to walk out of Verdant. "So what is there to do for fun around Starling City? Brady is, I'm sure, going on and on about his birthday and what he wants for his birthday and for Christmas."

"You don't want to get some practice in while the others wait to see where Harkness is going to strike next?" Roy asked an expression of concern on his face.

"I _really_ don't want to be around Barry right now," Cadence admitted. _Or anything else that'll remind me that I'm only a few days away from Brady being taken away from me._ The thought sent a sharp pain through her chest and she closed her eyes, turning her head away. It wasn't time to worry about it, there was too much to deal with at the moment that she couldn't allow outside thoughts to jeopardize anything.

At least that was what she kept telling herself.

"We had an argument over the way Oliver was doing things…I guess he still doesn't trust me." She cleared her throat and gave Roy a half smile. "So, Little Red, are you going to show me to Grandmother's house or—"

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?" he interrupted. "Because your eyes are glowing and I wouldn't want my red riding hood to be singed." He smiled as she laughed. "C'mon, I think we can find something to do."

* * *

 **A/N:** Sort of an easy chapter before getting back into the rest of the Flarrow crossover with the next one. The next one will be in Barry's POV for the most part to balance this one being mostly from Cadence's, which will also bring Iris and Eddie into the story more.

I also noticed that I spelled Lyla's name wrong in the last chapter and I'll go on to fix it soon. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. And what a season opener last night, right? It gave me motivation to get this chapter done. And if you haven't already please go read my one-shot _Wide Awake_ as it is a deleted scene from chapters 6/7 of this story.

Thanks to _Alisha Winchester Collins, guntezz, and scoobyice8_ for reviewing.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	9. Internal Conflicts

**.:9:.**

* * *

That night the ArrowCave was short of nothing but tension sand hostilities swirling around those inside. Barry and Oliver weren't talking, Barry and Cadence weren't talking, Cisco and Caitlin weren't talking much since Harrison arrived, afraid he was going to finally exhibit his irritation that they left without telling them why, Cadence wanted nothing to do with Harrison, Diggle, or Lyla, and everyone else seemed to be walking on egg-shells so that no one snapped and started an all-out war.

With two metahumans, two vigilantes, and two people that knew their way around ammunition, it wasn't an assumption to say the tension could've imploded on a hair-trigger.

Oliver sighed as he ran a hand over his hair. What could go wrong now? He already had Captain Lance on his back, Laurel who was suspicious of nearly his every move, and his team was falling apart. Diggle and Lyla continued to argue about their marital status more than the issues they were dealing with, Felicity had clammed up other than the work she was doing on figuring out Digger's whereabouts—though he was partially sure it was because she had the innate ability to offend someone without meaning to—and Roy…well, Roy was the only one that didn't seem to be at odds with anyone. Though Oliver couldn't help but notice that he did appear pensive about something and had been since he had arrived at the ArrowCave when summoned.

There had never been a time where Oliver was simultaneously frustrated and questioning himself.

"I know the feeling." Lyla's voice broke into his thoughts and he turned around to face her. His blond eyebrows rose, indicating her to continue. "Seeing the world one way while someone else sees it another way. I know what that's like. There are some people in the world that only deal with extremes."

"And it'd be naïve to think that anything less than extreme measures will stop them."

"Sometimes bravery isn't enough. Sometimes the world requires us to be bold."

"Whatever the cost."

Oliver and Lyla exchanged lightly nods and the corner of her mouth turned up as she reached out and gently patted him on the arm. It was the only comforting thing that had come to the group in days and while Oliver was glad someone else understood his point of view, he couldn't help but allow his eyes to trail over to the forensic scientist that moped on a nearby set of stairs.

 _I wish Barry would understand where I was coming from;_ he couldn't stop the thought before it entered his head. Usually he gave the orders and everyone followed through with it, he didn't care so much about the thought that went into his plans. But with Barry's view of the world…Oliver's eyes shifted over to Harrison Wells, who sat quietly next to Felicity, watching as she did whatever it was she did to find Digger. Part of him resented Dr. Wells for the view of the world that Harrison had, no doubt, given him, but at the same time he was grateful. Barry knew what it was like to be a hero, what it was like to do things for the good of them, to care about the lives of everyone in his city, to guide and mentor him in the way he should have been while Oliver was stuck learning it all on his own.

A light smile tugged at Oliver's lips. Maybe he could learn something from Barry after all.

"I got him!" Felicity suddenly cried. "He's in a warehouse at the corner of Infantino and Adams." She smiled to herself, pleased that she was able to use her skills to aid the group once more. Even if she didn't have powers, there were other ways she could help them. Then she could sense Oliver behind her, rather than feel him, but felt her pride swell anyway. She moved quickly and got Oliver what he needed. Now they just had to be sure things moved as smoothly afterwards. "There are about ten bodies inside."

"Harkness knows we're coming," Diggle realized.

Brady's nose wrinkled. "How would he know that? Just because of that guy that you managed to take down?"

"He probably has informants all over that would tell him when he's about to be busted," Caitlin pointed out. She bobbed her head back and forth. "I guess the guy that Barry took to Captain Lance was only one of them."

"I can track his cell phone position," Cisco said, his eyes glued to Felicity's monitor. He gently shook his head as he looked at the eleven dots showcasing Digger's and his accomplice's exact positioning. Barry had gone against a lot of people before and even if he and Cadence could move quickly, this was still going to be a tough one.

"Cisco, you're with Diggle and Roy," Oliver instructed. "Barry and Cadence are coming with me."

"I'll race you there," Barry said as he walked over, his eyes locked onto Oliver's. Oliver opened his mouth to retort then sighed instead. This wasn't the time for them to get into another conversation…argument about things. They were in Starling City and they were going to operate the way he wanted them to operate. No questions about it. "Lyla you stay here, if we're sure about his motives, then Digger is going to come after you."

"I don't want her to stay here," Cadence interrupted, staring hard at the female agent. "I'd rather see an ARGUS member out on the field next to me so I can at least see when they're going to put a bullet in my head rather than sit back and wonder what'll happen next."

Oliver turned towards her, narrowing his eyes. "Cadence, now's the time to put personal feelings aside—"

"You mean like the little vendetta you have against Harrison, Liver?" Cadence shot back.

With the mention of his name, Harrison leaned back in his seat and placed his blue eyes on Oliver. He stared at the vigilante as he spoke, "I'm sure whatever it is that Oliver has against me can be pushed aside for the greater cause of Starling City for at least one night. It will be operative to have Lyla here."

Oliver nodded.

* * *

Oliver stepped into the dilapidated warehouse and slowly looked around. Neon lights flashes advertisements for gun and drugs and judging by the shuffling sounds Digger's accomplices were waiting for him—or someone else—to come closer and unleash a flurry of bullets into their waiting bodies. Then he received the hint of acrid smoke and heard a whooshing sound, and turned the corner, bow drawn, to find Barry and Cadence finish tying up the last of Digger's helpers.

Dusting his hands off, Barry turned towards Oliver. "You're late," he commented.

Oliver shot an eyebrow upwards and turned his bow to the side, shooting an arrow into the side of a man that snuck up behind Barry. The forensic scientist whipped around to watch the man fall to the ground just as Roy and Diggle walked into the room behind Oliver, bow and gun drawn.

"He's not dead is he?" Barry asked slowly.

"Tranquilizer dart," Oliver explained. He lowered his bow and gave Barry a look that held a slight hint of disdain. "The same thing I used on you back in Central City."

Cadence's eyebrows rose and she turned her gaze towards Roy, who held his hands up defensively. "I only shot you with a regular arrow."

"That explains it."

With a low sigh, Oliver kicked at the hand of one of the men that lay crumpled on the floor and looked around the warehouse. He gritted his teeth together and stepped further into the room, looking over the men and the contents of the room. It was a mistake that they were there; he should've seen it ages ago. "Digger isn't here!" He barked to his friends then turned to man that was closest to him, facing his direction. "Where's Digger Harkness?" He demanded, but at least demonstrated restraint. He could feel Barry's eyes on him.

"Never heard of him!" The guy shot back. "But he wanted us to give you this." He held up a dark rectangular object that Oliver snatched out of his hand.

"We shouldn't have come here! Harkness…Harkness isn't here!" Oliver thought for a moment, then his eyes widened as he turned back to Diggle and Roy. It took a minute for them to realize what Oliver had suddenly realized. Digger had sent them to that location to get him away from the ArrowCave.

He was going to attack there when the others were unprotected. He pointed at Roy. "Where's Cisco?"

"Still in the van," Roy said quickly.

"Tell him to call Felicity, it's an emergency!"

* * *

The ringing of Marcos's cell phone caused Lyla, Felicity, Caitlin, and Brady all to jump. Only Harrison remained cal at the sudden sound that blared through the otherwise quiet ArrowCave. Frowning, he twisted to look at the screen, his eyebrows narrowing even further when he noticed the 'BLOCKED CALLER' ID.

"I'm assuming it wouldn't be Mr. Queen making a house call," he commented.

"No. Oliver never makes house calls. Really, he doesn't even call just to say 'hi' every once in a while." Her hands clenched into fists at her mini-rant. Then Felicity shook her head, blonde ponytail bobbing. "N-no, it shouldn't even be ringing. I swear I turned it off after I decrypted it."

Lyla's eyes shifted for a moment, though her outward façade remained clear. "Could someone turn it back on remotely?" The last of her question got out of her mouth and a knowing chill ran down her spine. Felicity started to agree with her statement, asking if someone could 'back trace the trace?' before they all sprang into action.

There was a loud whistling sound and a boomerang flew overhead, crashing into the metal desk below Caitlin's hands. She let out a gasp of surprise when she realized how she had come to losing her fingers. Then sprang out of her seat, grabbing onto Brady's arm with one hand and the handle to Harrison's wheelchair with the other. Pulling the two to safety.

Peering her head out from behind the filing cabinet they hid behind, Caitlin watched, lower jaw dropping when she spotted Digger walk into the light of the ArrowCave, his snarl directed towards Lyla. "Hello," he greeted her in his strong Australian accent before he threw a boomerang with all his might. It crashed into some wires that hung from the ceiling, sending sparks flying. Caitlin continued to hold Brady against her chest and looked over at Harrison, who caught her gaze. She knew the two of them were thinking the same thing. He had to help them somehow…but what did that mean for the secret he was keeping of being able to move like Barry?

Brady squirmed against Caitlin's grasp and she held on tighter to him. No. They had no choice but to sit back and wait. There was another crashing sound and Caitlin jumped once more, sure that Digger was trying even harder to take Lyla down.

"Guns!" Lyla shouted from somewhere near her.

"Cabinet, third drawer!" Felicity shouted back. Her voice sounded near too and not in pain. So she was safe. Caitlin took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, to keep herself from shaking. _Lyla knows what she's doing. He's not trying to go after the rest of us, he's going after her. There has to be something else we can do._ Caitlin opened her eyes once more and turned back to Harrison, who had moved his hands to the arms of his seat. Caitlin's eyes lowered and she saw the hint of his foot move, ready for him to leap up. Then she lifted her eyes to his once more and frantically shook her head.

Harrison stared at her then leaned back in his seat, lowering his arms, holding still.

Racing over to the cabinet she had been instructed to Lyla ducked down behind a wall of computers and opened the drawer, pulling out a pistol. She then whipped around and lifted her gun, shooting it at Digger, causing him to duck down behind any sense of protection he could find. Lyla continued to shoot at him, and then ducked down behind another enclosure. Caitlin poked her head out from behind her protection and watched as Felicity raced across the floor of the ArrowCave to a case and grabbed something off a shelf. Hearing a whistling sound, she turned back towards the battle and watched as Digger threw two boomerangs and ducked down once more. Lyla, who had moved to attack him, gave her position up and Caitlin immediately saw that she had made a mistake.

"LYLA! GET DOWN!" Caitlin shouted, immediately burning her throat raw. She watched as Lyla got caught in the shoulder with a boomerang and fell to the ground.

Then there was a flurry of movement. Caitlin felt herself grow cold for a moment, and then there was an explosion, sending sparks everywhere. Then there was a choking sound. Caitlin looked over once more and found Cadence holding onto Digger, her arms wrapped tightly around his throat, but what she saw surprised her; Cadence's lips were pulled back in a snarl, her eyes glowing a dark, blood red rather than the bright orange-red they did when she exhibited her powers.

"Mom," Brady gasped.

Hearing noise by her side, Caitlin looked up and found Harrison wheeling towards Cadence, a hand outstretched. "Let him go," he instructed in a firm yet gentle tone. "This isn't want you want to do. Let him go. He isn't our enemy, he isn't important to us right now." Caitlin continued to watch as Cadence stared at Harrison, as if not seeing him, and then slowly lowered her arms, her eyes returning to the normal orange color before lowering to its blue-green.

Once Digger was free, he raced out of the ArrowCave. Caitlin got to her feet and let go of Brady, who hurried over to his mother, and turned her attention to Lyla, who continued to lie on the floor, a boomerang out of her shoulder.

"Stop the bleeding!" Caitlin declared. "We need to stop the bleeding!" She hurried over to a cabinet along the wall, scanned the labels of the vials that sat in front of her and grabbed the one that would be the closest of use to her and a syringe. She kneeled down by Lyla's side once more, gently nudging a sobbing Felicity aside, filled the syringe from the vial, and stabbed it into Lyla's shoulder.

"She's not breathing!" Felicity cried. "Why isn't she breathing?"

Caitlin lowered her head to Lyla's chest and listened for a moment. Her pulse was feint, but it was still there. Lyla was breathing, but not very well, not very noticeable and that certainly wasn't good. She nodded at Felicity and the two carefully lifted Lyla up onto a nearby examining table. They had only just put her down when Oliver, Diggle, Roy, and Cisco came racing back into the ArrowCave with Barry right behind them. Diggle immediately raced over to his ex-wife, cradling her head in his hands, crying as he stared down at her lifeless form.

"I have her stabilized, but I can't operate on her here," Caitlin said, rising her eyes towards Oliver. It was then she realized she was shaking and it wasn't because of the cold that had seeped into her body before. She was shaking out of fear, a bigger sense of fear than she and the others had felt in Central City. Digger Harkness was out for blood and he would take down anyone that would stand in his way.

"Barry?" Diggle whispered, turning to the speedy metahuman.

He was already moving before Oliver instructed, "Starling General is at 8th and Wilcott" and was out the door in a matter of seconds.

Once the wind that whipped her hair around died down, Caitlin turned and dropped down into a seat, pressing her palms against her face. Her skin was warm, her hands were warm, and she was still shaking. Cisco sat down in a seat next to her and put his arms around her, hugging her tightly. "Its okay, Caitlin," he said quietly to her. "It's okay. Everything's okay now. You did a great job."

"Cisco…" she finally lifted her head, speaking quietly with him. "It was…this was so different than what we've gone through back in Central City. I thought…" Moving her hair out of her face, she looked into Cisco's eyes. "I thought I was going to die. I could only think about…the things I hadn't been able to do because we don't take things in Central City as seriously."

"I know." Reaching out, Cisco tucked her hair behind her ear. "I know." Caitlin gave him a small smile and they hugged again, holding onto each other tightly.

Oliver glanced at the two, running his hands over his hair before walking off. He paused momentarily as Felicity reached out and placed her hand on his arm. He looked down at her, noticing the tears in her eyes that she tried her hardest not to let fall, and brought his hand up to hers, gently squeezing it. Felicity's pink lips curled for a moment, into a tiny comforting smile, and then she removed her hand from Oliver's arm. Oliver kept his hand on hers a moment longer, squeezing it once more, then walked off to a quieter part of the ArrowCave. He really needed to be alone.

And within those few minutes he got to himself, he didn't know what to think about first. How Barry might have been right? How he needed to put more trust in his team? How he needed to stop going with his first instincts and think things through? How he was actually right the whole time but things didn't always go his way? How he needed to work harder to be sure things went his way? All of the above and with no clear idea of what the correct solution was.

He turned his head lightly when he heard footsteps coming up behind him and let out a low breath. "This is all my fault," he said.

"It's not your fault, Oliver," Cadence reassured him with a light shake of her head. "No one can completely be to blame for things that happen around here…around us." She walked over to his side and tilted her head back to look up at him, frowning as she remembered that she had to do that a lot even when they were kids. "I thought you knew that by now."

"I tortured Marcos to give up that file." Oliver briefly closed his eyes, the screams of the man immediately coming back into his head. He normally didn't put much thought into what he did for the slime that ruined Starling City. But this time it was something he knew he wouldn't forget, now there was someone that showed the humility he wished he had…putting it right into his face and questioning his moves and motives. "None of this would have happened if it wasn't for me."

"Gosh, I never thought I would ever hear you say that, 'liver." Cadence laughed lightly. "Especially considering you just had to bat your eyelashes and claim innocence and no one ever questioned you."

"That's because I had Tommy at my side backing up my story while you, Thea, and Laurel kept whining about the things we did." Oliver allowed himself to smile at the memories that felt like far off dreams of a life he only used to know and desperately wished he could get back to. "Doing what I do takes conviction. But more often than not it's the will to do what's ugly. Every time I do that I'm trading away little pieces of myself. So…you asked what's what wrong with me, that's what's wrong. The part that I'm trading away is Oliver Queen. And lately I've been feeling like there is nothing left except the Arrow."

He expected her to snort, to scoff, to sigh, to tell him he was wrong. He didn't expect her to agree with him. "I know what you mean, when I was in the Assassination Bureau, there were times where Breathtaker and Leah would give me enough control over my body…of my head so I was aware of what I was doing, but I couldn't control myself. When I was with them I was Brigade, I wasn't Flash Fire, I wasn't even Cadence. I was…a puppet for them to get to Barry so they could get to Harrison. And the worst part is that I've done sad bad things under their control that I _know_ wasn't me…but it was still my hands that did it and that's always going to follow me and I know how I'm ever…how anyone is ever going to see past that."

She moved her hair off her forehead. "I joined them to make sure nothing happened to Brady, so he could have the life he deserved and that's what kept me in it. But I don't know if that thought is still enough to justify what I've done." She shrugged. "I know you had your own reasons, I can't even begin to imagine what happened to you on that island, but I know you still have Oliver Queen in there. Nothing can take that from you."

 _Really? It seems that no matter how long I try to run from it, it always comes back, keeping the old life I used to know away from me._ Oliver tensed, hearing more footsteps behind him. These were heavier footsteps of a man's, but not so heavy the person was imposing.

"I think you're full of crap," Barry said from behind him.

 _I should have known there'd be more he had to say to me._ Steeling himself, Oliver turned around, his eyes darting when he found Cadence was no longer with him. But he hadn't smelled any smoke, letting him know she hadn't teleported. Barry took a few steps towards him. "Look, you've convinced yourself that everything you've been through has taken away your humanity. But I think it's of your humanity that you made it through. You wouldn't have survived much less come out the other end a hero. Someone who wants to do good if you didn't have a light inside you."

It was similar to what Oliver had to said to Barry when he started; there was something inside him that would make Barry different than Oliver ever was. But that there was a _light_ inside him? How could there be a light when he felt nothing but darkness?

His eyes shifted to the side and he spotted Felicity walking up behind them. Just by looking at her face he could see it was important.

He could push his own dark thoughts aside for the moment.

* * *

Wind raced by Barry's ears as he ran to the train station. It was the last place Felicity had gotten the facial recognition software to take them, knowing Digger was nearby. Why the Australian was so out in the open no one knew but it wasn't anything they were going to pass up. Still, as he ran, Barry couldn't help but look over his shoulder every now and then, threatening to pitch himself into trash cans and innocent bystanders as he did so.

He couldn't help it; the thought of the BlackFlash popping up behind him again, his claws stretching for his back and arms was enough to keep him on edge for weeks. He became afraid of using his powers when he put his mind on the BlackFlash too much, but when he had his tunnel vision on what he needed to do, things were fine. Still, the thought continued to creep into his mind, no matter how many times he tries to push it away. Finally reaching the train platform, Barry relaxed a bit, and continued to move innocent bystanders out of the way. They didn't need to get hurt for something that wasn't their fault.

Barry raced along the train tracks, moving people away from the zone that was bound to become dangerous as Oliver held his bow and arrow up to Digger, warning him to hold still. Finally, Barry came to a stop next to Oliver and the two glared at Digger.

"Get on the ground!" Oliver shouted. "Now!"

Digger laughed a low methodical laugh. He took a few steps closer to Barry and Oliver. "Why would I want to do that?"

"You hurt a friend of mine," Oliver growled. He took in such a deep breath his chest swelled against his suit. "You think you can run and I won't find you?"

Digger shrugged, a blasé shrug that caused Barry to clench his hands into fists, gritting his teeth. The ease of which this man spoke, how much confidence he had was infuriating. "Probably not. But I have a contingency in place." Barry watched as Digger reached into his pocket and pulled out a contraption that had a glowing red tip. Barry's heart stopped as he realized what it was Captain Boomerang was holding. "Five bombs planted throughout Starling. Now, you can stop me or you can stop the bombs. But you can't do both. Bombs are on, in ninety seconds the city will be on fire."

 _On fire?_ Barry repeated and slowly started to smile. He had an idea. He turned to Oliver, a question in his eyes. The Green Arrow didn't take his eyes off Digger but knew Barry's question, having his answer ready. "Go," Oliver whispered.

Turning on his heel, Barry raced out of the train station and back towards the ArrowCave. He brought his hand up to the lightning bolt on the side of his hood and pressed his ear piece. "Guys, Harkness has triggered five bombs throughout the city," he gasped as he ran. "I don't know where."

 _"To blanket the entire city he'd have to use radio controlled IEDs," Felicity said._

 _"But if we key into the detonator's frequency we can pinpoint the location of the bombs," Cisco added._

 _"English please," Brady complained. "I'm only eight here."_

 _"They can trace the locations of the bombs using computer technology," Roy explained to him._

 _"Thank you."_

Barry continued to run around the city, listening to what his friends had to say. He listened as Felicity and Cisco took him to his first location, behind a restaurant packed with people. He looked over the bomb and then back up to the crowd, swallowing hard. He couldn't let all of them get hurt, but as Felicity had warned him when he gave his idea of running it out of town, if he moved one they would all detonate. He brought his hand up to his earpiece once more. "Cade, I need your help."

"What do you need me to do?"

He paused for a moment, surprised that she was immediately willing to help him after their fight. But at the same time he hadn't hesitated when saying he needed her help as well…"I need you to help me get the others to the bomb locations then help Oliver."

"No problem."

When Barry arrived at the ArrowCave he found Felicity and Cisco left as Cadence had taken Roy and Caitlin to their designated areas. Brady and Harrison were sitting at the monitors, watching the pinpoints of the others as they were to diffuse the bombs. Harrison had his hands over his mouth, staring hard at the screen, almost glaring at it, but didn't make any moves to acknowledge Barry when he arrived at the ArrowCave. Brady, on the other hand, turned and smiled at Barry and Barry smiled back before doing a quick double take.

For a minute, something looked off about the eight year old boy but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Instead, he hurried back to the train station and fond Oliver and Cadence locked in battle with Digger. Oliver ducked out of the way as Digger aimed a punch at his head and Cadence teleported to Diggle's other side using her forearm to block his punch. She blew a cloud of smoke into his face and he quickly backed away, shielding his eyes, before turning back towards her and gave a punch and kick combination. She matched each of his blows, knocking his arms out of the way. Then she rolled against the ground and Oliver took her place, backing Digger up against a pole.

With a snarl, he pushed Oliver back out of the way and sent a strong kick to his gut. Cadence kicked high in the air from behind him and teleported out of sight, reappearing right in front of him and her blow struck him in the face. She sent out a flash of fire that caused Digger to cry out in pain, his hand caught in the path of the flame—though he still held onto the detonator—and backed away once more. Oliver sent a flying kick to his chest so that he crashed into the pillar and followed it up with an arrow to Digger's shoulder, pinning him to the concrete.

Digger struggled for a moment, and then let out a wheezing laugh. "You think you accomplished something here? You think not killing me has made you strong? You're nothing." He then paused, his smile fading once he realized that none of his bombs had gone off. "It just means you're weak."

"It means I have some humanity left," Oliver growled before turning on his heel and walking away. Barry glanced over at Digger then back to Oliver, who nodded towards Barry as he walked by.

 _Of course,_ Barry thought as he walked over to Digger. _You always want me to do clean-up._ Grabbing onto Digger's arm he turned and called back to Oliver. "Which way to Starling City Police again?"

He smiled as Oliver waved a hand over his head.

* * *

"It was fun being here," Brady said as he looked around the ArrowCave. "Do we _really_ have to go back to Central City?"

"Yes, we do," Cadence said. She reached out and ran her hand through her son's hair before patting him on the back. "You have to go back to school, do your chores, do your homework..."

Brady's nose wrinkled as he tilted his head back and looked up at his mother. "What homework?" She paused, blinking down at him.

"The homework you were supposed to do while we were away…."

"Oh. I didn't bring it."

"You didn't bring it?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because homework is boring!"

Cadence sighed heavily and tilted her head back, looking up at the ceiling as she shook her head. Lowering her chin she caught Caitlin's eye and she smiled back at her. Then the two turned their attention towards Harrison as he moved forward a few inches. "I believe I speak for everyone when I say that it surely was an event, working here in Starling City."

"And next time we'll be sure to call," Caitlin added, gently biting her lower lip. "Before we suddenly show up."

" _Unless_ you, you know are having one of those big company parties that give out those awesome gift bags, then we could just drop by," Cisco said. Clearing her throat, Caitlin elbowed him in the side and Cisco glanced at Harrison before dropping the bright smile from his face. "You know, after calling first."

"Hey don't worry about it," Roy reassured them. "You guys are fun to have around." He nudged Cadence's arm and she gently rolled her eyes in response.

"You guys are fun, too," Cisco agreed with a slow nod. "But, you know, it'd be even more fun if you realized that your ArrowCave is right under a nightclub."

"We're _not_ calling it the ArrowCave," Felicity said, holding her hands up as she stood up from her seat. She then clasped her hands together, smiling around the room. "But now that you've mentioned the nightclub there _is_ something that I think you guys would like to see." She waved a hand and hurried over to the stairs that led the way up to the top of the stairs—with Harrison using the express elevator—and walked out onto the empty floor of the nightclub.

"You know, for a popular nightclub, this place is sort of dead," Cisco commented when he noticed the dim lighting.

"Let's fix that then," Oliver's voice echoed along the expansive room seconds before the lights flicked on. Cadence blinked for a few moments before she noticed the balloons and streamers that hung around the room, then noticed Iris, Eddie, Laurel Lance, and Thea amongst the group as she was bombarded by the sudden cry of, "Happy Birthday!"

"Happy Birthday, Mom!" Brady said and reached up, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Are you surprised?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised. How did you know it was my birthday?" Confused, Cadence scratched the back of her head, but accepted the eager and excited hugs that came her way. "I never mentioned when it was."

"Well, when we were back in Central City and we met Ryder—"Caitlin started to explain.

"Wait, Ryder?" Felicity repeated.

"It's a long story!" Cadence snapped, not wanting to go through it all over again. Especially now that she was remembered he had left his birthday gift to her, waiting in her apartment. "How did you?"

"So after you mentioned that your birthday was coming up it didn't take long to figure out when it was exactly," Barry commented, turning his attention over to Harrison, who smiled, running his hands over the other in his lap. "And unlike the rest of Starling City, we wanted to show them there's always something to look forward to." He smirked over at Oliver, who rolled his eyes in response.

She wanted to asked about Diggle and Lyla but realized then wasn't the time as Laurel, Thea, Iris, and Eddie all didn't know anything about their whereabouts from the night before. She was also sure they hadn't all known about Brady being her son or Harrison her father but didn't dwell so much on it, knowing it was the least of the secrets they all kept. She didn't have to like that they were both part of ARGUS, part of the team that had used her, but they were still people and she had been hurt badly.

"C'mon, you want to blow out the candles before they start to melt all over the cake, right?" Thea asked as she and Iris walked over, holding onto each end of a large sheet cake. "I mean, I don't know about _you_ but I don't find it to be particularly appetizing."

Chuckling, Cadence pulled her hair behind her ears, thought for a moment, and then blew out the candles in one breath, causing her friends and family to clap appreciatively. "What did you wish for?" Eddie asked as Iris and Thea put the cake down and started to cut it up.

"That you'd let me drive all the way back to Central City without a fuss," Cadence replied with a light smirk towards him. Her wish had something to do with Central City, but not anything that had to do with driving there.

"Hey, I'm part of the law, I understand the rules of the road," Eddie defended himself.

"Says the man that likes to speed whenever he gets the chance," Iris teased him.

"I only do that to impress you," Eddie shot back.

"Mmm, with a father on the police force I can tell you that the least impressive thing is someone who speeds," Laurel commented, crossing her arms over her chest. She laughed lightly as Iris let to a light scoff, complete with moving a hand to her chest and said, "Don't get me started. My Dad is _always_ on me about my driving!" The two started to laugh as they stood off to the side, swapping stories about their police officer fathers.

Cadence smiled and moved her hair behind her ears once more as Cisco declared for the party to start, causing a blast of music to start up. If there was going to be a time they were going to enjoy themselves with all of their friends and family in one room. It was going to be then.

"So you were setting up this whole place just for my birthday?" Cadence asked Thea. "I'm surprised it's a nightclub, last time it was in your family's barn. With all of those pony rides."

"Where I fell off and broke my arm, I know," Thea said. She rolled her eyes. "It was Tommy's fault though; he was the one that scared the horse." She laughed lightly and nodded over to Barry. "But it was all his idea. So you should be thanking him."

"I should?" Cadence turned towards Barry, crossing her arms. "Was this before or after Oliver nearly banished you to Central City?" She frowned up at him as he shuffled his foot against the ground. On one hand she was still pretty upset, but on the other he had gone through so much trouble do this for her…

"Before," Barry finally admitted. "And as for our fight…for everything that happened…I get it. You really felt that you had no choice and you did what you had to do." He brought his hand up and rubbed his neck. "I guess I got so upset because nearly every metahuman I've run into has been out to get me. And then I met you and I thought things were different and…it was like I was always going to be alone. We were friends and then I found out…" he shook his head. The conversation had been run into the round nothing had to be said anymore. "I understand why you did what you did. But you're much more than what you did with the Assassination Bureau and you worked hard to get out of it. And you reminded me that we had to make hard decisions sometimes. You're a great addition to our team."

"Thanks, Tholly." Cadence smiled and reached over, giving him a tight hug, glad Barry hugged her back. She looked over at the dance floor and laughed a little when she noticed Cisco dancing enthusiastically to a Lady Gaga song. "How about this; I'll forgive you if you join me on the dance floor, put those Zumba classes to work?"

"You mean anything to get Cisco to stop, right?"

"Exactly."

"You're on."

* * *

 **A/N:** Wow, almost two weeks since an updated. I was busy guys, please bear with me. As you can see this is the last chapter with the Arrow part of the crossover and now back to the Flash-verse with Christmas and the Reverse Flash and the Rogues and Hartley and Ronnie and all that good stuff that I'm incredibly impatient to get to (not to mention season 2). Now you may be wondering why Harrison and Brady didn't have big parts in this chapter while in the ArrowCave, but it was done on purpose and will be explained in upcoming chapters.

I have plenty of other relationships (family, friendship, and romance) that I haven't shown yet in this story that will get their spot in the limelight with the upcoming chapters. I hope you liked this one. I certainly enjoyed writing it.

Thanks to _Alisha Winchester Collins and MinecraftDanny_ for reviewing.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	10. Things Progressing

**.:10:.**

* * *

Harrison pressed his lips together firmly and watched as the entries to the digital database flew out in front of him. His eyes scanned the papers back and forth. There didn't appear to be anything about the Black Flash in there, killing the Flash. Only that the Flash seemed to have vanished in some sort of a crisis. That was okay. That's what he expected to see. If there were anything else, it would spell out trouble for him and what he was trying to do.

On the other hand, there being a Black Flash in general wasn't something he had anticipated. That meant there was something wrong with Barry, but he wasn't quite sure what it was; moving too slow? Using too much power so that his body couldn't cooperate? Maybe he was just seeing things, there hadn't been any indication otherwise that the Black Flash was really around, but if Barry had seen him in Central _and_ Starling City…

"Thanks Gideon," Harrison said with a wave of his hand. "That's all I needed to see for today." He turned on his heel, footsteps echoing across the white metallic floor. One he reached the end he lowered himself into his wheelchair and carefully left the room, knowing there was a chance anyone could be there to catch him in the act.

Harrison wheeled himself out to the Cortex and lifted his chin when he found Barry leaning against a computer bay, looking at his feet. Hearing him approach, Barry lifted his gaze towards his mentor's and gave a hopeful smile.

"After running the diagnostics on your body, there wasn't anything that I found to be out of the ordinary," Harrison said. Barry let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head. "So I can't believe it is anything that has to do with your own abilities that are creating this BlackFlash that you've seen." He waited, resting his hands in his lap as Barry shook his head, turning his gaze away from his mentor. Harrison could see the frustration flash through his eyes and truly did feel for Barry. There was already so much going on in his life and adding this to his plate was something the young man didn't need.

Especially after what had happened in Starling City. He had gotten a big dose of reality from Oliver, about what it meant to be a 'hero' in Starling compared to Central City. Then he got slapped in the face once more when a member of his own team agreed with the way Oliver was running things, though having her own reasoning for it. Harrison could understand Barry's plight, feeling as if everything was falling down around him and everything that he knew to be true was a lie. But there was truth in what Mr. Queen had to say, Oliver realized. They were going to have to work harder, smarter if they were to take down all of the metahumans that came their way.

 _Not that they didn't take it seriously before,_ Harrison reminded himself. _Just that we'll need to move things a bit quicker than I anticipated._ He cleared his throat, paying close attention as Barry turned back to Harrison, still as perturbed as he had been before.

"I know what I saw, Dr. Wells," he insisted. "The BlackFlash was there, it looks like a zombie in my suit. A _black_ suit! And it keeps telling me that I'm going to die."

Harrison wheeled forward and grabbed onto Barry's wrist, holding tightly. "Has it ever managed to touch you? To get a hold of you in some way?"

"No. Not really. I mean." Barry ran his hands over his face, easily remembering what had happened the last time he had come across the meta. Not in Starling, when it chased him around the city, but through Central City when it told him about his future. If what he was saying was true, as it were. "I was paralyzed. Something about it was keeping me on the ground, I couldn't move, couldn't run. But it didn't do anything to me. It just told me what it _could_ do and ran away. Then I saw it in Starling City…."

"Yes, yes, we know the events surrounding that," Harrison interrupted. Nodding, he lowered his hand from Barry's wrist and placed his mouth in the palm of his hand. A million thoughts raced through his mind, crisscrossing and twirling as he tried to make sense of it. "What sort of headspace were you in when you saw the BlackFlash in Starling City?"

For a moment, Barry wasn't sure how to respond. He was angry but determined in Starling, because of his fight with Oliver as well as taking down Digger Harkness. But when he had seen it the first time in Central City he was just running around to burn off some energy and to enjoy the beautiful day that came from it. Harrison cut him off before Barry could explain his feelings adequately, not wanting to exacerbate the tension even further.

"Right, well, it's not anything that I believe will hinder to us at the moment," Harrison said. _Especially as I can't find anything through my future works about it._ Barry's eyes narrowed. "I understand that sounds really strange, but there is something that I feel that we're missing here that you seem to have forgotten for the long while we've been doing this."

"What?"

"It's Christmas," Harrison reminded him. "Relax. Take some time to yourself and your family. If anyone deserves it, it's you. You've worked really hard sine you've woken up from the Particle Accelerator explosion and you've done it all without a thank you, or the recognition that you truly deserve."

"I guess," Barry said slowly. His mouth twisted to the side and he rolled his neck for a moment. Harrison smiled a little as his protégé finally put his hands into the pockets of his jeans and crossed his legs at the ankle. Oliver Queen was right about one thing, Barry certainly was the kind of hero that Central City needed. "But…I don't need that recognition. I just want to help in any way that I can. If all of these metas are going to be running around Central City, it's my job to stop them right? And if the BlackFlash is going to be chasing me around every time I use my powers…"

"Barry, as long as metahumans are around, you're always going to be the enemy of something or someone. If you dwell on how many people that can be, then you won't be living, you'll be anticipating. You'll be worrying. You'll be waiting for the world to pass you by and that's not the sort of life you should be living."

Now Barry gave a wry smile. "Are you kicking me out, Dr. Wells?"

"I'm kicking you out of STAR Labs, Mr. Allen," Harrison said. The two exchanged a smile and he extended his hand, which Barry grasped and shook firmly. "Go home, be with your family. Have a good holiday."

"Thank you, Dr. Wells. I'll see you later."

"Goodbye, Barry."

Harrison watched as Barry left cortex at top speed, leaving a burst of wind in his wake that moved his hair off his forehead. He ran a hand through his hair then stretched his arms over his head. Dropping his arms, he crossed them over his chest and let out a low sigh.

Things were progressing much quicker than he thought.

* * *

Brady looked up at the man and woman that stood in front of him with a mixture of curiosity and fear. He didn't know what they wanted but it had to have been okay if his Mom had allowed them into the apartment. He had been working on the week's worth of homework he had neglected to bring to Starling City when he had heard the front door open.

"Yes, may I help you?" He heard his mother ask.

Easily recognized her tone as one of controlled anxiety, Brady slid off of his bed and hurried over to the door to his room. He poked his head around the door and looked out towards the front door where he found his mother dressed in her workout clothes, pulling her hair up into a ponytail as she stood in front of a tall man and woman who were dressed in suits, holding onto matching suitcases.

"My name is Laura Peck and this is my partner Jason Brubeck, we're here from Child Protective Services to ask you and your son a few questions," Mrs. Peck said conversationally.

Cadence glanced over towards Brady's room and her eyes locked onto his. Knowing he was caught, he stood up straight and pushed the door open, walking over towards them. "What's going on?" He immediately moved to his mother's side, looking up at them with a hard stare. If he could face down Bronze Tiger, he could deal with these people, too.

"They're from Child Protective Services and just want to ask us a few questions," Cadence replied. With a nod, she took a step back and allowed the two into the apartment. She closed the door behind them and looked down at Brady, making a funny face, which he returned with a light laugh, then ushered the two into the living room, pulling out chairs for them. Brady flopped down on the couch and stared at the adults. They didn't look like they were from the police, but he could tell from his mother's stance; arms crossed with one hand brought up to cover her mouth, that it was serious. He then reached out his hand and shook the hands that were offered of him.

"We just want to ask you a few questions, Braden," Mrs. Peck said with a kind smile.

"My name's Brady," he corrected her.

"Brady. I'll be sure to remember that." Brady leaned back against the couch, kicking his legs back and forth as Mrs. Peck and her partner Mr. Brubeck sat in the kitchen chairs across from him. "Like I said, we just want to ask you a few questions."

"Okay," Brady said. He chewed his lower lip; watching s the two pulled out a notepad and uncapped their pens. "About what?"

"About your life," Mr. Brubeck said. He gave a small, comforting smile. "How old are you?"

"Eight. But my birthday is coming up."

"You must be excited." Mr. Brubeck's smile widened. "Christmas and your birthday all in one month. Do you get double the presents?" His eyes shifted over towards Cadence, who continued to listen quietly. "Do you have a party?"

"Yeah." Brady nodded, pushing his bangs into his face. "My Mom throws me a party every year. Last year we went to Coast City."

"That must've been really fun."

"It was. Went to the beach. And to the pier. And went to the movies." Brady nodded again. "I had a lot of fun."

"What do you like to do for fun? Your mother mentioned that you like to play sports?"

"I play soccer!" Brady sat up straight, his eyes lighting up. "It's my favorite sport. I play all the time, on this team I'm on. We play all year." He rubbed the palms of his hands on the legs of his jeans. "I play Midfield."

"I bet you score a lot of goals then, huh?" Mrs. Peck said. Brady watched as she kept her pen poised over her notepad, not having taken any notes while Mr. Brubeck had scribbled away, after each question he had asked him.

"I guess so." He shrugged.

"So why don't you tell me about school? Do you like going to school?"

"I like school," Brady replied. "It's fun. I have some friends and we play together at recess. I really like my French class."

"Oh, you take French? How are the rest of your classes? Do you like them too?" Brady nodded. He continued to answer every question that was brought his way, looking at his mother every now and then see if he was saying the right things. But she continued to watch the man and woman in front of them, her thumb slowly moving across her fingers. "So how are things here at home? You must love your mother a lot." It was then that Brady noticed she started to write, once he started to answer the questions about his home life. "I bet she takes real good care of you."

"I love my Mom," Brady nodded earnestly. "She always takes great care of me. She makes me food, she washes my clothes, and she helps me find my cleats when I can't. She packs my lunch every day. She helps me with my homework. She teaches me things. She's really brave."

"How so?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Brady could see Cadence stiffen slightly, changing her stance so that her hands were resting in her lap, but holding tightly onto each other. "Because she's raising me all on her own." He had never really questioned it that much; though he did wonder about his Dad here and there. It wasn't something that was inherently important to him, not until recently when he found out who it was. Knowing it was kept from him for so long hurt him more. Swallowing, Brady lifted his head and watched as the man and woman continued to write notes on their notepads. They asked her a few more questions about their home, thanked Cadence for allowing them in, and left the apartment.

Brady went over to the front door and peered through the peephole, watching them leave, before jumping down from the stool and going back to his mother, who went into the kitchen. "Why were they asking me so many questions?" He asked her.

"I told you, they were from Child Protective Services," Cadence explained, gathering things together for his lunch. "They wanted to ask some questions about how I'm taking care of you."

Now Brady's eyebrows furrowed together. "But why?" He asked, walking over to the counter, resting his arms on it. He looked up at his mother. "You take great care of me. Anyone can see that."

"Because of the night you got on the bus to STAR Labs when the Assassination Bureau and the Suicide Squad were attacking. The driver remembered you had gotten onto the bus that late at night and called the CCPD for a welfare check." She gave him a funny look. "Just think what would have happened if they heard about Bronze Tiger attacking you."

"I wouldn't have told them that."

"I know. But who knows the sort of things they've managed to dig up." Cadence quickly put his lunch together and tossed it into a brown paper bag. "Or tried to question." She reached out and stroked Brady's cheek. "They're just doing their job, bud, you're not going anywhere." He smiled as she seemed to have read her mind, quickly putting him at ease.

Brady nodded. He reached out and took his lunch bag and looked over his mother for a long moment. "Is that why you're mad at Dr. Wells?" He asked her, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. "Because he wasn't around to be your Dad?" Cadence opened and closed her mouth for a moment before bringing her hand up to her forehead.

"I don't know," she said honestly. "I guess so. It's hard to grow up and realize that you don't really have a father figure or mother figure as the case may be, in your life because of decisions they made that they thought were the best at the time." She shrugged and reached out, ruffling his hair. "Have a good day at school; I'll be at the bus stop to pick you up later."

"Okay. Have a good day, Mom." Brady stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his mother's waist. He stepped back and started to leave the apartment, then turned back around. "Mom, can we invite Ryder to my birthday party?"

Cadence's eyebrows rose for a moment before she nodded. "If that's what you want."

"It's what I want."

"I'll send him an invitation later."

A bright grin spread across Brady's face. "Thanks, Mom. I love you, bye!" He waved and hurried out of the apartment, down the stairs, and to the bus stop at the end of the street just as the bus pulled up. Stuffing his lunch bag into his backpack, he walked up the stairs and onto the crowded bus. Looking around for an empty seat, he found one by a boy he hadn't seen before. He slid down into the seat and propped his backpack up onto his legs as the bus started up one again.

His hazel eyes moved down to the video game that rested in the boy's hands and he leaned over, eyes widening. "No way! Is that the new Aeternoblade?"

The boy smiled and nodded, his blond hair falling into his green eyes. "Yeah, I just got it a couple of weeks ago. It's my favorite game." He lifted the handheld device, raising his eyebrows. "Do you play?"

"Yeah! My grandparents just got me a new Nintendo 3DS a couple of months ago. I've been dying for that game. I asked for it for Christmas." Brady reached into his backpack and pulled out his own game player. "So far I only have the new Mario game, though. But that's fun, too."

"Mario is awesome," the boy agreed. He lowered his game back to his hands. "My name's Connor."

"I'm Brady."

* * *

Iris blew a bow off of her lips and turned her attention back to the box that sat in front of her. She picked up a piece of tape and placed it on the center of the wrapped package to be sure it would hold together. Then she turned her attention to the sides of the box and folded the wrapping paper over, taping it all together. With a flourish, she added a bow to the top and quickly wrote who it was for.

"Wow, you've really got the hand of this whole wrapping thing," Joe commented as she walked into the living room, fastening the tie around his neck. He paused as his eyes roved over the piles of boxes that sat in front of his daughter. "Am I going to have a heart attack once I see your credit card bill?"

"Not unless you want to cause yourself any harm," Iris chirped in reply. She laughed as Joe leaned forward towards the box she had finished wrapping and picked it up. Seeing his name on the tag, he shook it around. "Daddy! Be careful!" She grabbed onto the box and pulled it away from him.

"Well, at least I know it's expensive," Joe pointed out. "Which brings me back to my potential heart attack from the credit card bill."

"I pay for my own bill and besides, once you see what it is you're going to love it!" Iris clasped her hands together in her lap. "Starling City was so much fun, Dad. I wish you could've been there. Eddie and I went to Star Bridge and the Grell Museum, and Papp Stadium. They already have everything decorated for Christmas, it was so beautiful."

"It sounds like you had a good time," Joe added.

"Oh, a _great_ time!" Iris nodded. And it certainly had been a great time. She hadn't been to Starling City before and it was really fun to see how much there was to do and see while out there. Being able to spend it with Eddie made it that much better, but still a little nerve-wracking. She had no idea what to get him as a Christmas gift, it was their first holiday together as a serious couple and Christmas was a big one. It was even bigger than Valentine's Day. And even though Barry, Cadence, Caitlin, and Cisco had made so many strange excuses to leave at odd hours, they all had such a great time in Starling City. If any of the pictures on her phone were any indication, they all had a blast.

She couldn't help but smile when she came upon the image of the seven of them posing on the Star Bridge, all making funny faces at the cameral Cisco's smoldering look making her laugh each time. Then there was Cadence's birthday party, which was a great time that everyone had, if there was one thing that Oliver Queen was good at, it was throwing a party.

Her eyebrows furrowed together for a moment as she thought of the party, realizing that she and Barry hadn't really spent a lot of time together that night. He had spent a lot of time with his other friends, signifying how close he had managed to come with his peers. She could still remember the time when she was his only friend, especially right after the death of his mother. It was good to see him come out of his shell, but a little strange as well.

"Barry and I went shopping for your gift, so if you like it, it's from both of us. And then Catlin, Cadence, and I—"

"—Wait a minute," Joe interrupted, holding up a hand. "They were there too? Caitlin and Cisco and them?"

"Yeah. We all stayed in the same hotel and hung out and got to know each other a bit more. And then Caitlin, Eddie, Cadence, Brady, and I went shopping for some gifts." Iris continued, not noticing the worried expression that came onto her father's face. "It was really cool to have a girl's day out while we were there; Caitlin even said that she may go to one of Cadence's Zumba classes though she says she's not a good dance." She laughed, brushing her hair out of her face. "I don't think anyone could be as bad as Eddie, though."

"I'll take your word for it," Joe said with a laugh as he tried to imagine his partner on a dance floor. "Though from the way I've seen him run I may agree with you." Iris joined in on his laughter and he moved to the floor of the living room, next to his daughter. He reached out and put his arm around her shoulders. "You know, I'm really proud of you."

"For my epic gift wrapping skills?" Iris grinned.

"Considering I can't wrap a gift to save my life, yeah," Joe said. He laughed a belly laugh. "I have to go to the mall and get them wrapped so you don't find out what your gift is."

"It's not my fault that you're bad at hiding them."

"It's bad that you bring Barry into it every year, you think you would've grown out of it by now."

"I want to be a reporter, Daddy; I need to find all the facts." Iris shrugged then teasingly poked her father in the stomach. "If it comes down to snooping for my gifts, then so be it." She laughed and wrapped her arms around her father, resting her head on his shoulder. The two were silent for a long moment, reveling in their moment by themselves. "This is nice; we don't really get to spend a lot of time together anymore."

"I know," Joe agreed. "I'm called away at all hours for my job; you're in school and working at CC Jitters. But I have never been more proud of you." He leaned in and kissed the top of her head.

"Well, you'll be even more proud once you see my even more epic decorating skills." She bounced to her feet and grabbed onto her father's arm, pulling him up with her. "You get the boxes of decoration and I'll start mapping out where we're going to put the lights and the tree and the wreath." She held her hands up in a square formation and squinted an eye as she looked through it. "I'm thinking we can put the tree in the corner of the room this year, to maximize on space." She whipped around at the sound of the front door opening and saw Barry walking through the front door, carrying wrapped boxes in his hands. "Barry!"

Her squeal of excitement caused Barry to let out a cry of surprise and lurch forward, nearly dropping his boxes all over the floor. Iris bounced over to him and helped him pick them up. "Geez Iris, why don't you take it down a few notches? It's still early."

"I'm sorry, I'm just so excited." She helped him up and reached out, grabbing onto his arm. "Christmas is my favorite time of year; the lights, the carols, the whole family together…" she trailed off, batting her eyelashes at him. Barry stared at her for a long moment before he suddenly turned his head away and looked at Joe, eyes widening in recognition.

"Oh, Iris, I can't stay and help," he said quickly. "I have so much I need to do. I just stopped by to drop off these presents."

Reaching out, she poked him on the shoulder before crossing her arms. "And while you're here you can help us decorate." Barry opened and closed his mouth, trying to form an excuse and Iris tilted her head to the side. "C'mon it's tradition. You know you want to help us. We'll turn on _A Christmas Story_ and listen to Christmas music and you can't forget Grandma West's eggnog." Barry tried to find an excuse to get out of it and she stuck out her lower lip, batting her eyelashes.

Sighing heavily, Barry closed his eyes. "Fine," he finally replied. "I'll help out."

"Yay!" Iris could hear her father laughing and turned to him, just as he brought a mug of coffee up to his mouth to hide it. "Alright, Dad, you and Barry find the boxes of decorations and I'll start moving things around so we have enough space to put things up."

Barry mumbled something under his breath that sounded like 'tyrant', and laughed, quickly moving away as Iris reached out a hand and shoved him once more. She placed her hands on her hips and looked around the room, mentally visualizing where things were to be placed. Then something at the windows drew her eye and she gasped lightly.

A shimmering yellow outline of a man looked into the window at her, its red eyes boring into her. And as she watched the hand of the man lifted and slowly waved at her before it suddenly disappeared as if it hadn't been there in the first place. Blinking rapidly, Iris rubbed at her eyes and looked at the window once more, still nothing there.

She turned her attention to Joe and Barry as they came back into the room, holding large boxes with lights, wreaths, and Santa hats spilling out of them. Iris turned back to them, her excitement immediately snuffing out worries of what she had just seen.

"Let's get this party started!"

* * *

 **A/N:** So this is the start of a lot of big storylines that are coming through this story (BlackFlash, Rogues, Reverse Flash, and other original ones like Flash Fire had done) and I'm excited to have gotten here as quickly as I did. The whole Reverse-Flash/Dr. Wells thing in the show was the best part to me (and thank God Tom Cavanagh is back in the season).

 _And_ the first time we see Brady's POV. I've had a few guesses as to what's going on with him, what do the rest of you think?

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	11. Home for the Holidays

**.:11:.**

* * *

"Do you think Dr. Wells will mind if we decorate the place?" Cisco asked his chin resting in his hand as his eyes moved along the empty, spacious walls of the cortex. "It's starting to get kind of depressing."

"Well, you have to remember that it's only been a year since the explosion and Barry's getting his powers and everything," Caitlin pointed out. She lifted her head from her monitor and gently shrugged, nose wrinkling. "I can't blame him for not enjoying the holidays season."

"But it used to be his _favorite_ holiday."

"I think 'used to' are the operative words, Cisco." Caitlin gave him a soft smile and pushed back her seat far enough so she had enough space to cross her legs at the knee. "I can't say that I blame him. Everything that he and the rest of us worked for went up in flames, right before our faces." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "This is something we all worked really hard on, that we thought would bring us everything we ever wanted…and seeing it all come crumbling down…" she shook her head. "It wasn't even our reputation that got tarnished."

"I know." Cisco reached out and picked at a peeling spot on his desk top. "I just think that we should turn it into something that's good for him. I mean, we might not have met Barry if it weren't for the Particle Accelerator going off."

"You don't think so?"

Cisco pressed his lips together as he shook his head. No. He truly didn't think so. Yes, Barry had wanted to go to STAR Labs the day it was to be turned on, but then Iris's bag had been stolen and he chased after the person to try and help her, and he missed it all, going back to his loft office to figure out if there was anything that needed to be done, which put him directly into the blast that gave him his abilities. If he had been able to get into the Particle Accelerator and watched it turn on with everyone else, he may have been injured if not killed by the blast, rather than getting his powers from it. Besides, with Barry's powers they wouldn't have been able to help the city in the capacity they were currently operating.

"I don't," Cisco agreed. He tucked his hair back behind his ear and turned towards Caitlin. "It's kind of like a _Butterfly Effect_ sort of thing…if you change something that happened and then go back to the present, then everything around you wouldn't be recognizable."

He smiled as Caitlin tilted her head back and laughed lightly. "You're truly one of a kind, Cisco." She got up from her seat and walked over to her friend, wrapping her arms around him in a hug, which Cisco returned. "You certainly know how to make me feel better." It was then that Cisco looked into her eyes, realizing why she was worrying so much about Dr. Wells and celebrating Christmas, she didn't want to celebrate it herself. Not when it was going to be her first holiday, alone, after Ronnie had died in the explosion. He should've remembered. "Oh, Cait, I'm sorry," he apologized, arm still around her. "If I remembered—"

"Oh, don't worry about me." She braved a smile, mimicking his movement and pushing her hair behind her ear. "I'm fine, really. I have you and Barry and Cadence and Brady and…Dr. Wells…" her eyes shifted for a moment then quickly moved back to Cisco's. "I have all of you guys. I'll be okay." She lowered her arms from Cisco and looked around the Cortex. "You know what, I think you're right, we should spruce up this place a bit. We just have to make sure that Dr. Wells doesn't come in while we're doing it or else we'll have to take it down."

Grinning like a little kid in a candy shop, Cisco clasped his hands together. "I think we still have it all stashed away in the closet by the break room. I'll go get them." He turned on his heel and hurried out of the Cortex, going at nearly a run. This was going to be awesome and a much better Christmas than it was the year before. Last year, even without the explosion, hadn't been a great Christmas for him; his parents had done nothing but fawn all over Dante, getting him the best gifts. Things that he had actually asked for while Cisco, on the other hand, only got things that were even vaguely related to science. No graphic-tees, no controllers for his gaming systems, not even good candy—who liked black licorice anyway?—and yet they expected him to sit there, grin and bear it.

But this Christmas was going to be one hundred times better. He had new friends; he and Caitlin weren't so close the year before but now they were like brother and sister—he couldn't wait for her to see the gift he got her this time around—he didn't _have_ to spend it with his family; the team at STAR Labs were now his family, and once they saw the invention he had made for them this time it was bound to cause laughs and a true feeling of the holiday spirit. Having the decorations up was just going to be the icing on the cake with the cherry on top. Stopping by the closet, he pulled the door open and looked inside, frowning as he was suddenly overcome with sadness. Some of the items that poked out of the tops of boxes he recognized as belonging to those that had passed that their family members either didn't know existed or wanted.

Pushing them and the copious amount of office supplies aside, Cisco grabbed the two large boxes of Christmas decorations, pushing them out from the depths of the closet and pushed them out. He kicked the door shut behind him and started to move them down the hall, suddenly coming to a stop. What was that? Twisting his head around, Cisco tried to pinpoint the sound he thought he had heard. Was it footsteps? Heaving breathing? The sound of his own hopes rising and rising?

"Cait?" He called, voice echoing along the corridor.

But he didn't hear anything in response. Nothing that would indicate there was someone there. Still…he was sure he had heard something. "If there are any mole people that are going to try and eat me, please don't do it until after Christmas. I'm actually looking forward to it this year," Cisco called. "I'll even salt my leg for you if you want."

He pushed the boxes into the cortex and Caitlin turned towards him, giving him a funny look. "Did you say something?"

"I was warding off the mole people from attacking me," Cisco explained. Caitlin's confused look increased in depth. "Don't ask, Cait. Just believe me when I say they're real." He picked up a long piece of tinsel and held it up over his head and twisted this way and that to see if he could find a good place for it to be placed. Finally, he draped it over the back of his own desk. "I'll take it. Blue's my favorite color."

"I thought your favorite color was red," Caitlin said.

"No, it just looks good for a suit color; I've completely thought this out. Like, the vest and the leggings have to be blue because that's a color that will grab the attention. But everything else has to be a contrasting color, maybe red or yellow. But they all have to be splashes, none of them can be overpowering. " He looked up from the Christmas tree he had started to set up, noticing that Caitlin hadn't said anything but continued to look at him funny. "You can't tell me that you haven't thought of it."

"Thought of what?" Caitlin asked, carefully putting up a string of lights over her desk, going as far as to take off her high heels so she didn't slip and fall. "Making myself my own suit?"

"Yeah! If you had the powers that Barry has wouldn't you want to design your own suit?"

"I've never thought about it, actually," Caitlin said, turning away from Cisco.

"Really? I think about it all the time! I mean, I made Barry's suite for the CCFD at first, but now it's working better for Barry and what he wants to do. And then Cade's suit…I made that after Dr. Wells told me to and it works perfect for the abilities she has though still has the same sort of components that Barry's suit has. I'd probably do that basic idea with a lot of different suits but mine would be the best one of course."

"Because you'd put all of your attention onto it."

"Exactly!"

Cisco steed back into the middle of the Cortex and placed his hands on his hips as he looked around the room. Instead of the grays, silvers, and blues that came from their metal-esque equipment and the blue screens from their monitors that greeted them every day, now it was filled with bright reds, greens, golds, and yellows from the lights they strung up around the large, circular room. Light blue tinsel snowflakes and stars swayed from low hanging parts of the ceiling, and a large Christmas tree festooned with tinsel, lights, and ornaments stood proudly in the corner of the room with wrapped boxes underneath.

"I think we've outdone ourselves this time, Cisco," Caitlin said with a proud smile as she placed her hands on her hips. She then reached out and gently poked him on the shoulder. " _You've_ outdone yourself. This was fun."

Cisco grinned as he looked at his handiwork. It was certainly much better than anything he would see back home, where the family didn't put up the lights and decorations but a service did. It was always pretty to look at, but it didn't have the same sense of accomplishment that doing it himself did.

"Thanks Cait." His smile waned for a moment. "Unfortunately as fun as this was, I still have a lot to get done on Barry's suit and Cade's suits. I don't know what happened to them back in Starling City but they managed to do enough to it that it's going to take me a while to get it back up to code." He cracked his knuckles. "Remind me to have a word with them later."

Chuckling, Caitlin brought her purse up her shoulder. "You got it. I'm going to go to the store and see if we can find anything that we can give Dr. Wells this year. I don't think giving him another black sweater will go over very well. Even though we did do it at the last minute."

Cisco laughed loudly and gave Caitlin a hug goodbye as she turned on her heel and left the Cortex. He went over to the holding area for Barry's and Cadence's suits and shook his head as he looked the over. There were a few scuff marks here and there as well as a few rips and tears. And yet neither of them had explained what happened when they came back from whatever Oliver and Roy had needed to see them for before they had returned from Starling City. That bothered him more than the damage itself, not knowing how it got there.

"I see not much has changed around here."

Surprised, Cisco whipped around to find Bette standing quietly behind him, her auburn hair pulled back into a light ponytail that dusted her shoulder, a jean jacket over a tank-top, jeans, and light boots. In all, she appeared calm and collected, more so than he had seen her when she first arrived in Central City. As a matter of fact, there was a lighthearted glow in her eyes that wasn't there the last time he had seen her.

"Plastique," he said to her. Then gently shook his head. "Bette." She didn't necessarily deserve to be referred to as her metahuman name anymore. Not after her role within the Suicide Squad. _Though if what Oliver said it true, then it wasn't anything that she had much control over. If I had the opportunity to get rid of Eiling too, I would've done it._ He tilted his head. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you, Cisco."

Cisco could have said a lot of things in response to that statement. He felt butterflies erupt in his stomach, felt his knees go weak, and his palms get filed with sweat all at the same time. He hated having that visceral response to it. He wanted to stay angry, serious, and wanted a really good way of being able to prove it to her.

Instead he crossed his arms and said, "We need to ramp up security around here."

* * *

Frowning, Caitlin tilted her head to the side as she looked around the men's section of the store in front of her. There were so many things to buy, but nothing seemed like something Harrison would want. She had the same problem back in Starling where, admittedly a lot of it more was more expensive, but now that it was supposed to be something from her and Cisco it should've been easy, but it was anything but.

"I see you're having the same problem I am," Cadence said as she walked over. Caitlin turned and smiled at her, noticing that she was laden down with so many bags she appeared in danger of falling over under the weight. "You didn't have a gal pal to shop with, but here I am to break you out of your misery." She gave her friend a warm smile. "You should've called; I've been here all day."

"I can see that," Caitlin said. "You seem to have hit a lot of stores."

"I had a lot of gifts to get. Something for all of you guys, then stuff for Brady—which is always hard to hide because he snoops everywhere, so I have to do the shopping when he's at school and stash it somewhere else—for Iris and Eddie and Detective West, and Oliver and Thea—"

"—and Roy?" Caitlin broke in with a sly smile casing Cadence to busy herself with placing her bags on the floor, adjusting them in her hands. "What's going on with you two? You spent a lot of time together in Starling City."

"Yeah well, Roy's…" The fire metahuman trailed off, shaking her head before speaking honestly. "Roy's great. But I don't like to bring people around Brady that may leave after a while. And even though Roy's really cute and fun and we have a lot in common…he's not ready to be a potential step-father to him. A friend, sure. A step-father, no, not really."

"I think I get it," Caitlin said honestly.

"Did you and Ronnie ever think about having kids?"

For the second time that day Caitlin was caught off-guard. There were a lot of things she thought about when it came to her relationship with Ronnie and what it could have been. She planned out her entire wedding in her head; the kinds of flowers they would have, the venue, the kind of cake at the reception, her dress. She had thought of it all the way down to her shoes and how she would wear one kind during the ceremony and then switch into flats and a different dress for the reception so she could be sure to have a lot of fun. She planned for the limo that would take them to their hotel to have a pizza waiting for them knowing they would have little to no time to eat while they were busy greeting their friends and family that came out to the wedding.

She would try to use that time to show her mother that she was truly happy with someone that may be a little bit beneath her. She would show her mother that she was happy with what Ronnie meant to her rather than the job he had, what he was like in college, or that they were two different people, proving that in some cases opposites did attract. There was a reason he continued to call them fire and ice, teasing her whenever she got angry about something as she showed off her 'fiery' side. It didn't help the one time she had experimented with dyeing her hair red—it was for a costume—and he continued to taunt and tease her, trying to get her mad.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," Cadence said quickly, breaking Caitlin out of her thoughts.

"It's alright, I guess I'm going to have to get used to it." She shook her head as the two started walking. "It's better than what my Mom keeps doing. It's my first year without Ronnie in a while…she keeps looking at me as if I'm going to burst out into hysterical tears or that everything she says is going to offend me."

"Does everyone have crappy parents around here or is it just me?" Now Cadence shook her head. "And I thought Central City was supposed to be all light and happy. It's even got a golden glow to it. Metropolis was a lot of sky scrapers, to the point that you got blinded nearly every time cars went by." She suddenly stopped as they reached the elevators that would take them to the parking garage. "Weren't you going to get a gift?"

"I couldn't find anything, I'll just look later," Caitlin said quickly. She suddenly came to a stop, looking over her shoulder. She could've sworn someone had just been right behind her, breathing down her neck. But…there was no one there. Okay, there were strange things going on around Central City but she was sure she hadn't completely lost her mind at that point. Not yet, though she was sure she would strangle Cisco the next time he tried to force her into a monster movie marathon.

Unnerved, Caitlin turned back to face forward once more and followed Cadence to her car so that she could help put all o f her bags into the car. Tilting her head to the side, Caitlin tried to peer into a bag when she spotted a bright blue swatch of clothing, wondering if it was a gift for her. Laughing, she pulled her hand back as Cadence shot her hand out and smacked her on the wrist for trying to look inside. Once the trunk was closed, Caitlin's attention was immediately drawn to the reflection of a figure standing behind her. She gasped, causing Cadence to notice and the two whipped around to face the figure.

The man looked to be homeless with long, stringy hair, dirty and ripped clothes, and smudges of dirt along his face. His head was bent towards the ground, breathing heavily as he held his arms at his sides, slightly elevated. He took in a few deep breaths before turning on his heel and hurried away from the two young women. Before she could stop herself, Caitlin hurried after him.

"Cait!"

She could hear Cadence's footsteps behind her and the two skidded to a stop around the corner when they realized they had the man cornered in a small alcove. His back was towards them, ragged breathing increasing in sound and tempo. He slowly turned around, gritting his teeth in effort of…what? Caitlin's eyes lifted and she stared hard at the figure's face, straining to see through the long pieces of hair that covered him. Then he lifted his head and Caitlin's eyes widened.

They widened even further when there was a sudden flash of bright light and the head and hands of the figure erupted into flames. There was a low rumbling sound that started deep in his throat before he let out a cry of fury and raised his hands, shooting the flames out towards her.

"Look out!" Reacting quickly, Cadence pushed Caitlin out of the way and brought her hand up, blocking off the rush of flame that headed their way. Falling heavily onto her side, Caitlin looked up to see the man pull his hands back and punch towards Cadence. She ducked out of the way, and then did a back flip to move back even further. She sent a cloud of smoke towards the figure, giving her enough time to move back to Caitlin's side. "Come on."

But Caitlin stayed frozen, staring at the figure as he moved the smoke out of his face. Enraged, he turned back to Cadence and brought more fire up to his arms and shot it out towards her. Tucking Caitlin behind her, Cadence brought up her hands and shot her own stream of fire back to him.

"No! Wait, stop!" Caitlin cried, grabbing onto Cadence's arm. The fire metahuman immediately stopped and looked down at her friend, who continued to stare at the figure with wide eyes. He stared back at her, shifting his eyes towards Cadence then back to Caitlin.

Then he turned and disappeared around the corner. Dropping Cadence's arm, Caitlin got to her feet and hurried after him, but found him gone within the few seconds it took to reach the concrete slab that hid his exit. Cadence came up behind her.

"What are you doing? Who was that?" she demanded.

"I think…" Caitlin swallowed thickly. "I think that was Ronnie."

"Uh…I hate to break it to you, Cait but Ronnie's dead…that guy didn't exactly look like the Ghost Rider."

Caitlin whipped around and grabbed onto Cadence's shoulders. At the fire metahuman's surprised glance she realized she was shaking and had difficulty catching her breath. But in her heart of hearts, in her gut, she knew that was Ronnie. "It was him," she said. "I know it."

"Okay…then we have to tell the others."

"No! Not yet, I want to be sure. I want…" What did she want exactly? Time alone with the man she thought had died to see if it really was him? Time to see if he remembered her and wouldn't ever attack her unless…unless he wasn't Ronnie. "Just don't tell them, please."

"Okay. I promise." Cadence looked up at her friend, concern evident in her eyes. She reached out and grabbed onto Caitlin, hugging her tightly. "Everything's going to be okay, Caitlin."

Caitlin hugged her back, hoping to stop trembling.

* * *

Barry leaned back in his chair and yawned loudly, running his hands over his face. Considering how long it was taking for the results to come back from his testing of that day's crime scene—it wouldn't have been so bad; a routine older woman who had died alone, if the death hadn't occurred weeks before and her house looked like it had been broken into—he was starting to appreciate how quickly he could move when he had the chance. Now it was like watching paint dry as he waited for his machines to get up to speed to analyze what was brought back from the crime scene.

Sighing heavily he turned around, after looking to be sure no one was coming up the stairs to his office, and leaned forward to grab the string that rested at the bottom of a map of the world and pulled on it. It rolled up to reveal the board that held all of the information about his mother's case. He hadn't looked at it in a long time, though it was something that used to consume him. Glancing over the newspaper articles, the red strings that kept piece of evidence tracked together, different leads he had followed over the years, the night came rushing back to meet him.

He remembered the strange sounds from the living room that caused him to venture out of bed that evening, how his mother screamed as the yellow swirl moved around the living room, keeping her trapped, how his father tried his hardest to get to Nora before she was killed. But, of course, Barry hadn't witnessed that part; he had been whisked away by something that he had never been able to determine. All he knew was one second his father was screaming at him to run and the next thing he knew, he was blocks away with no idea what happened. Then his father was taken away and he was with the Wests…Standing up, Barry reached out a hand and gently ran his fingertips along the picture of his father being taken away by the police; the picture that graced the front of every newspaper delivered around Central City, the picture that was broadcasted over websites for everyone to see and he was known as a 'wife-killer'.

 _He must be so lonely in there,_ Barry thought, realizing he hadn't seen his father in a while. _I need to go visit him again, soon._ Letting out another sigh, Barry brought the map back down over his board and turned around back around to the machine to see if the tests had been done. Seeing they weren't, his shoulders slumped. This was going to take forever. Looking at his watch, he looked around the empty office one more. No one had come to see him all day other than giving him the samples from the crime scene, Captain Singh seemed to be avoiding him since their last run in—though he had been under the whammy from Bivolo—, it seemed that everyone was going through the motions.

"I guess I have enough time to get to Jitters before anyone notices I'm gone," he said, before zipping out of the office, causing loose papers to flutter to the ground. Barry came to a stop around the corner of CC Jitters and walked inside, immediately going up to the counter to get his usual. He stopped short, realizing that he, sort of, recognized the young ma that stood in front of him. As if sensing that Barry was staring at him, he turned and Barry slowly nodded as he realized that Ryder was standing in front of him.

Ryder blinked at Barry for a moment before his eyebrows lifted with recognition. "Hey. Barry, right? We met once before at Cade's apartment."

"Right." Barry nodded and took the hand Ryder offered him and shook it. "You're Ryder." A brief, awkward moment shot between them once they stopped shaking hands. "How're things going, man?" He inwardly cringed. But what was he supposed to do? It was his friend's ex-boyfriend, the father of her son, and the one that had come back to Central City with gifts for the two of them for their birthdays. Despite having two loving parents, he knew how awkward moments like that could be.

"Not bad," Ryder said with a nod. "I've been working a lot out here. You know that office building that's being built…" he paused. "Or I guess I should say rebuilt considering the huge explosion that ripped through it a few months ago."

Barry nodded, trying hard not to keep it from reading on his face. That explosion had come from Plastique, when she attacked him the first time; the first time he had proven that he could run up the side of the building when he got the first chance to. He tried not to grin but failed, causing Ryder to give him a funny look.

"It's cool, but I don't think it's anything to grin about," Ryder said slowly, reaching for his wallet to pick up his order. Though from what I can tell around here, it seems like I'm going to be having a lot of work. There always seems to be some sort of destruction going on around here."

"Yeah, a lot of strange things are happening around here now," Barry said slowly. Of course all of them had to do with metahumans. He had fixed up as much as he could after the fall of the Suicide Squad and the Assassination Bureau, hoping to keep the citizens of Central City from regaining their memories of that day. He wasn't sure what Breathtaker had managed to do to completely erase their memories of that night, but if he was able to use his powers to control the Assassination Bureau into doing everything he wanted, it couldn't have been hard. "But, I mean, The Flash is here to help everyone so I don't think it's anything to worry about."

"Kind of like Metropolis with Superman I guess," Ryder agreed. He stood aside as Barry ordered his usual drink and the two sat down at their own table. "There's always something going on over there, but there's someone for them to look up to. I guess the Flash is that for Central City."

"Have you ever seen him?"

"The Flash?"

"Yeah."

"No… but I've seen the pictures…the blog posts…" Ryder blew his fringe out of his face before leaning back, crossing his legs at the knee. "He's doing a really great thing for the City. No matter what happens I think people will keep living here if there's someone like The Flash to keep them around." He let out a low breath through his nose. "I might move here myself."

As he was taking a sip of his latte, Barry choked slightly. He coughed, moving the cup away from his mouth and grabbed a napkin. Ryder didn't appear at all offended to Barry's reaction, instead, he placed his cup down and loosely crossed his arms.

"Look, I know it's weird. Because I haven't been part of Brady's…or Cade's life, for a while but I'm really trying to change that now. He deserves to know that I'm here for him that I _wanted_ him, but didn't have much choice when it came to how things were played out. I made a mistake and I'm trying to fix that mistake."

Barry nodded but didn't say anything else. It wasn't his business, really. Cadence and Brady were both good friends to him and he did feel a bit protective over what was going on with their personal lives, but he felt a protective of them as well.

"We're not going to get back together, that's not what I want at all. I just want things to be okay between us. So I can be the father that Brady deserves and needs. It'd kill me if I'm not given that chance. Every kid deserves to have his father around, right?"

Barry nodded then opened his mouth then closed it again, unsure of what to say. He could understand that, but he didn't know Ryder well enough to know if he was telling the truth. Still, what he said did have some truth to it. Every kid did deserve to have their father, but their mother as well and he…he didn't really have anything. There was a reason he didn't like the holidays so much; yes there were Joe and Iris who he could celebrate with and it was always great. But it wasn't the same as when his Mom and Dad were around.

Where his Mom would already be awake when he went to get his parents up Christmas morning and she would go down to the kitchen and help him make breakfast for his Dad. Then he would go charging up the stairs to their room and jump onto his Dad, waking him up despite Henry's grunts and groans to at least sleep for another hour. Then the three of them would go down to the living room where Barry would eagerly watch the two of them as they opened the gifts that he painstakingly saved enough money for to buy. No matter what it was they were always happy to see what he gave them; even if it were something that held to little to no value to anyone but them.

But it was gone now, Nora was gone and Henry was sitting in jail…

Feeling guilt run through his body, Barry sighed and placed his forehead into his upraised hands. Ryder gave him a funny look. "Look, man, I didn't mean to upset you in any way."

"It's not you; it's something I forgot I have to do." Barry got to his feet. "It was good to see you again, Ryder. See ya." He left Jitters and immediately raced over to Iron Heights prison, set halfway between Starling City and Central City. All thoughts of missing work left his mind as he signed himself in and waited a few moments before he was brought back to a row of stalls that held a phone.

Barry settled down in his seat and looked around the small, enclosed space as he waited. Then he heard a door open and perked up as a security guard came into view, bringing an inmate along with him. Once the inmate was settled into place, he reached up and took the telephone, pressing it to his ear. Barry did the same.

"Hey Dad," Barry greeted Henry Allen with a sad smile.

"Hey there, Slugger," Henry replied with a smile of his own.

* * *

Flick, fizz. Flick, fizz. Flick, fizz.

Eyes narrowing, Snart shifted his gaze over to Mick who continued his routine; flicking open the lid of his lighter and watching the dancing flame, a content, almost perverse smile on his face. Tilting his head back, Snart closed his eyes and shook his head before bringing his hands up over his face. It figures the guy he had asked to become his partner in crime was one of the most irritating people on the planet. His obsession with fire was bound to get them into more trouble than anything else, especially if he ended up falling for his vices; setting something on fire and standing in almost a loving, romantic trance as the flames destroyed everything in its path.

That's why he preferred the cold. No heat, nothing resembling humans or emotions, messy things that got in the way. As it was, he as seconds away from picking up his cold gun and blasting Mick in the face with it. He would've done it if he wasn't aware of Mick's heat gun that could be brandished as quickly as his own.

"Tell me again why we're not working to lure The Flash to us?" Mick asked, lowering his lighter to the table. "I want to see how long it'll take for his suit to burn down to his flesh and bone." Eyes gleaming in the flickering light, he looked positively demonic.

"Because I want to be sure of the one that's working with him first," Snart said. "The one called Flash Fire. Seems that she hasn't caught on with the press yet, but it is interesting that the one that as aligned with him has the power of fire…" his eyes trialed over to Mick, who suddenly seemed alert, a dark and malicious smile coming to his face. "Is it not?" Snart slowly smiled as he tilted his head to the side. "Besides, even heroes deserve to have a day off before everything goes to hell."

Mick responded by closing the lid of his lighter with a loud snap.

* * *

 **A/N:** One thing I'm not sure of is if I'm not showing enough of the differing relationships within this story. So if there's anyone you think I need to show more of, please let me know. I know for sure one of them is Cisco and Cadence, but then there's also Barry and Caitlin and Barry and Cisco and Iris and the girls and Eddie being thrown in all there. But let me know please.

Fun Fact: when originally thinking of this story and Flash Fire, Caitlin was to be the first to find out about Brady being Cadence's son while they were out Christmas shopping.

Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter. I should update again soon.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riley**


	12. Merry Christmas

**.:12:.**

* * *

"Barry. Barry. Come on, get up."

For a moment, Barry jerked himself awake, practically flying into his routine to get ready for work as he was sure he was late. His arms and legs flailed before familiar laughter reached his ears and he calmed, planting his face into his pillow. Letting out a long sigh, he turned his head so that he had fresh air to take in, and opened an eye to see Iris sitting on the side of his mattress, one hand pressed to his shoulder having obviously shaken him to wake him up.

His touch sent warmth through his body and he turned until he was sitting up, pressing the heels of his palms to his eyes. "Iris…" he shook his head and let out a long yawn. "What time is it?" At Iris's smile, he turned his gaze to his clock and let out a low moan when he noted what time it is. "Oh Iris, not now. Aren't we too old for this?" He turned onto his side and pulled his blanket up over his shoulder.

"No. No way!" Laughing, Iris leaned forward and pulled his blanket down once more. "It's tradition, Barry. We do this every year!"

"Yeah, but every year I didn't have my own apartment, and Barry likes to sleep in. Even on Christmas."

"Since when?"

 _Since the Particle Accelerator exploded giving me my powers. And because of those powers my mind now moves one hundred times faster than it did before making me hallucinate every now and then if not being able to get a good night's sleep. And when I_ do _sleep my thoughts are filled with so many different things that I can barely keep them straight. So since then I guess._ But Barry didn't say that, he couldn't say that. There were too many things he wanted to be able to say to her but didn't have the opportunity to do so, all because he knew how much danger it would bring. But he wanted to tell her so badly; there weren't many secrets they kept from each other (though there were a few things he was sure that he would take to his grave) through their entire lives.

"Since I've been putting in extra hours at the precinct," Barry mumbled, eyes still closed. "Captain Singh has been riding my ass for the past couple of weeks." That was partially true. He avoided the Captain as much as he could due to his recent outburst due to Bivolo's whammy, even then he didn't seem to have forgotten about it. Not only did he have his normal runs to crime scenes to help out any way he could, but Captain Singh seemed to make it his personal mission to give Barry ever piece of evidence to test in existence.

"Well…before he decides to call you and Dad in, we have to do our tradition, come on!" Iris grabbed onto the crook of Barr's elbow and dragged him out of bed and into the living room of his apartment. He noticed two brightly wrapped gifts sitting on the table and suddenly realized that Iris was indeed in his apartment. His eyes widened as he planted his feet on the floor.

"How did you get in here?" He asked.

"I have a key, Barry." Iris pushed him onto the floor in front of the couch and quickly sat down across from him, dragging the boxes into her lap. "Come on, open your gift."

"When did you get a key?" Barry seriously didn't remember that.

"Dad made me a copy when you gave him one, Barry. You have a key to our house; you have a key to yours. Now _open it_!" Iris reached out and slapped Barry on the shoulder, effectively waking him up. He rubbed his eyes once more and finally looked over at Iris, waiting for the expression on her face when she opened her gift. And he stared at her; she was already completely dressed and ready for the day in a long-sleeved gray sweater, a red and green plaid skirt, black tights, and matching shoes. Her makeup was minimal (or natural, or whatever girls called it) and she looked just as beautiful as he always thought her to be. "If you don't open your gift, I'm going to open mine, first!"

Barry didn't get the chance to move before Iris reached out and grabbed onto the small box that rested in his hands and yanked it into her possession. He laughed lightly. She was never one to wait patiently to open gifts. Unlike Barry who at least didn't wake up both of his parents until after breakfast, she was most certainly the kind of child that had woken up at all hours of the night trying to sneak a peek at Santa Clause, secretly unwrapping corners of gifts to look inside, and tricking Joe into telling her what she was going to get.

"I'd hate to see what happens to the guy that forgets to get you a gift for Valentine's Day," Barr remarked.

Iris paused in her unwrapping and gave Barry a long look before smiling a little. "Eddie would never forget that," she said, mentioning the foil that had been placed into his life before he had woken up from his coma. "Would he have issues figuring out what to get me? Probably. But that's exciting; I'd never know what he'd have waiting for me. The surprise is always the best part." Barry stared at her, wondering if that meant it was bad thing that he knew absolutely everything about her and she quickly reached out, taking his hands, sensing his distress. "Barry, I'm so happy to have you in my life. You're my best friend and the fact that you know such trivial things about me is the best."

"Like how you hate paisley?" Barry teased.

Iris threw her hands into the air incredulously, as if she had the conversation many times before and was using her last words of life to get her point across. "It's an annoying pattern! If you're going to make something _look_ like a flower petal, actually make it look like one. It looks like an amoeba."

His laughter filling the small apartment, Barry leaned back, crossing his arms in anticipation. Iris giggled as she finally unwrapped the box and gently opened it. The smile on her face immediately morphed into an expression of surprise then shock, then disbelief as she held onto the small ring. She nestled it in her palm like a baby bird, using her other hand to turn it this way and that, examining it closely.

"My mother's wedding ring," she breathed.

"Well, it's a copy," Barry quickly explained. He ran a hand through his hair. "I mean, you lost it…on that field trip to the zoo in the fifth grade. And I remembered that you cried and cried for days. When, really, it wasn't your fault that you lost it, it was Bobby Kinkirk's fault. But you still blamed yourself for it."

"And you got me another one?" Iris asked in disbelief.

She looked up at Barry with wide eyes, then back to the ring, then back to Barry. She slid her hand along the metallic chain that went with it and held it up above her head, allowing the light that streamed through the window to catch the side of the ring. She lowered it to her lap and leaned forward, throwing her arms around Barry's neck.

"Oh Barry, thank you!" Iris held him tightly. "This is…this is seriously the best thing anyone's ever got me!" She continued to hold onto him and Barry reached up, hugging her back just as tightly. The two continued to stay in their embrace, Barry allowing Iris to get through the emotions that were more than likely to be running through her body. "You're the best, Barry." She leaned back, still holding onto his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "I mean that. You always do so many sweet things like this; you're always there for me. And I can't thank you enough for that."

"You're welcome, Iris," Barry replied sincerely. He smiled back at her, holding her gaze a bit longer. "Here." He held out his hand and Iris placed the ring into his hand. She then turned, pulling her hair up so that Barr could bring the necklace around and fasten it around her neck, fingers gently brushing against her skin. She lowered her hair back in place and slowly turned around. He gave her a funny look when he saw how scrunched up her nose was. "What? I thought you liked it!"

"It's not the ring," Iris said slowly. "It's my gift to you. It seems so silly compared to what you just gave me."

"No. I'm sure it's fine." Barry picked up the heavy package that Iris had given him and unwrapped it. His eyes widened themselves when he saw the microscope that now rested on his lap. "Wow!" He cried, looking it over.

"It's supposed to be the best one on the market and I wasn't sure if you already have it so if you do or if you don't like it, you could always—"

"No. Iris. It's perfect. I love it." Barry grinned as he continued to look all over the microscope, inspecting each and every component that went along with it. "Thank you." Now he gave her a hug and she smiled, patting him on the back.

Leaning back, Barry continued to look at the microscope. It was very similar to the one he used to have in his childhood bedroom. But this was definitely a much newer, better, and more expensive model. It wasn't that his parents were in tune to his interest in the sciences; they allowed him to talk about whatever he wanted. Henry being a doctor helped so that he had the education to understand nearly every question Barry turned his way about biology, why something was the way it was, or why some medicines helped people more than others. Nora was the kind of woman and mother that allowed her only son to explore whatever it was his heart desired. This brought many birthday and Christmas gifts of science experiment kits, planetary artwork, and even a telescope that he used nearly every night to look at the stars and the moon…and the one time he managed to watch his neighbors due to pure curiosity (Which was very quickly put to a stop).

It was hard to think that so many years had gone by and Christmas with the Wests was now becoming his new normal. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate everything they did for him, but…his father was still in jail and his mother was still dead and there wasn't much that he had managed to do in terms of proving that his father was innocent. It was always Christmas time that made things harder for him.

"Do you want to go visit him today?" Iris's voice broke into his thoughts. "We have plenty of time, you know Dad wouldn't mind."

"No, I've already gone and seen him recently; he's doing as well as you can be in jail." Barry sniffed and sat up straight. "Let me just get changed and then we can go over to see Joe and Eddie and have a great Christmas, okay?"

"Okay."

Barry got off the floor and went into his room. Closing the door behind him, he used his powers to move around the room, putting on his clothes. He wished he had time to do it before Iris had come over, so that he could've cleaned up the apartment a little bit. He wanted nothing but the best for her. But she hadn't seemed to have noticed that it didn't look like he slept there a lot as it was, and she was barely at the West house either…Barry shook his head. He knew going to the house meant he was going to put himself in the position to watch Iris and Eddie cuddle and enjoy their holiday together as a serious couple.

 _You've got to get over it, Barry;_ he could practically hear Caitlin's voice in his head. She had tried giving him that kind of advice ages before, when he would continuously visit her as The Flash and yet…much like most of his past he couldn't let it go. But then, when he had been whammied and heard what Cadence had said…"I don't think you really love her, I think you're afraid of being abandoned by her" had caused him to react very badly.

But one thought that constantly went through his mind was whether or not he reacted badly because no one understood his and Iris's relationship…or if it was because it was true.

 _Don't think about that now, Barry,_ he said to himself. _It's Christmas, you should be happy. Mom would want you to be happy._ He smiled and left the room, finding Iris on the couch, looking at the picture of the two of them that Eddie had looked at when he visited the apartment months before. "I love this picture," Iris said as she looked it over.

"So do I, it's my favorite one." Barry pulled his jacket of his shoulders and motioned for Iris to follow him as they left the apartment. At that moment, as he locked the door behind him, he realized they would be walking the entire way back to the West house and wanted nothing more than to tell her about his powers so that they could get there faster. For someone that was notoriously late, he really did enjoy being able to get places at top speeds. He looked over as Iris looped her arm through his.

"Merry Christmas, Barry." She smiled up at him.

"Merry Christmas, Iris."

One the two returned to the West house, Iris immediately went back to her task of declaring where everyone was going to sit and in what order they were going to open gifts. She then passed around mugs of Grandma Esther's special eggnog, causing Barry to once again hate the fact that he couldn't get drunk, before sitting down in her seat—which just so happened to be Eddie's lap—and turned her attention to her father.

"Daddy, open your gift first!" She declared. "It's from me and Barry!" She bounced up and down on Eddie's lap in anticipation, causing the blond detective to change his position in the chair.

Barry smiled a little as he noticed Eddie's expression of pure surprise then lowered it when Eddie turned his way. "She really gets into the holidays doesn't she?" He asked him, causing Iris to lightly whack Eddie on the shoulder.

"Oh, you have no idea." Leaning back against the couch, Barry crossed his legs at the knee and made a show of taking another long sip of eggnog. The taste of alcohol within it made him smile but it passed through his system seconds later. "To Iris, Christmas is New Year's, her birthday, and Halloween all rolled into one."

"Halloween?"

With a short sigh, Iris whipped her head around and gave Barry a pointed stare. "We dressed up for the pageant once! Just once. It's not a big deal, okay?"

"Not a big deal for you, maybe," Joe said, eyes placed on the gift that he slowly and painstakingly unwrapped. "You're not the one that had little kids chasing you around, tugging on your beard and pantsuit, demanding that they get this toy and that toy for Christmas. And wondering where Rudolph was."

Eddie laughed loudly at the image. "You mean you had to dress up as Santa? That's so funny!" Joe glared at his partner and he immediately choked off his laughter. "I mean, it's not funny at all. I bet you were a great Santa…Joe." He cleared his throat and picked up his mug of eggnog, holding it up so that it covered his face. "What'd you get, Joe?"

Joe turned his attention back to the gift and opened it fully. He laughed appreciatively as he held up the large Christmas sweater that sat in the box, causing Iris and Barry to grin. "You'd think by now I would expect to get one every year. You know you really tricked me last time where it was a tie instead."

"There's something else in there," Barry prompted. He smiled, remembering how _that_ tradition had started. Combined, he and Iris didn't have a lot of money to get Joe a gift and they had seen that Christmas sweaters were on sale. As the years continued it was all they could afford to keep buying him. Once they had gotten their own jobs and were able to afford better gifts for him and each other, they still continued to give him a sweater as well. This time it had a large blinking nose on the front, perfect for the CCPD Ugly Sweater contest.

Joe pushed the tissue paper aside and smiled as he picked up the watch that sat at the bottom of the box. "Whooo." Eyes squinting, Joe lifted the watch up towards the light and looked it over. "Seems to me that you need this more than I do, Bare."

"I've gotten a bit better at my punctuality," Barry defended himself. "It's just…things come up sometimes." He and Joe exchanged knowing glances.

"Okay, Eddie! Your turn!" Iris cried. She brought her hand up to her neck, holding onto the necklace as Eddie took his gift from her and started to open it. "I want you to know that my asking you for your shirt size doesn't mean that your gift is necessarily shirt related."

"Did I also forget to mention that she is terrible when it comes to giving hints?" Joe added.

Eddie laughed appreciatively. "This is the girl that couldn't help but tell me she had decorated my apartment so that it was more accessible to a female." He gently tapped her on the thigh, causing her to giggle and twist away from him. "I don't mind having her around, but I mean a man's place is his man cave, right?"

 _Bad choice of words._ Barry slowly moved his hand up to cover his face as Joe's face turned stony. One thing Eddie probably hadn't anticipated when dating his partner's daughter was how easily the cop father could take offense to something or read something so wrong it didn't make a difference if Eddie tried to save himself. This time around, Eddie was smart enough to quickly change the subject.

"Hey." He reached up a hand and gently tapped the necklace around Iris's neck. "Where'd you get that?"

"Oh! Barry gave it to me. It's a replica of my Mom's wedding ring that I lost ages ago."

"Wow." Eddie nodded. "That's a great gift, Barry." He turned towards the speedy metahuman, looking him up and down for a moment before picking up his gift. "I just hope mine can top it. Why don't you open yours, Iris? Before I open mine?"

Distracted by the prospect of receiving another gift, Iris grabbed the medium sized box that easily fit the palm of her hand. She tore off the wrapping, flipped open the lid, and stared down at the diamond necklace that fell out into her palm. Her eyes turned as round and as bright as they had at Barry's gift. Even Joe let out a low whistle.

"Aww. Eddie, it's beautiful! I love it." She quickly put it on and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck, giving him a kiss on the cheek and a kiss on the lips. "You must've saved up so much for it."

"Well, anything for you, baby." Eddie glanced over at Joe. "Iris."

Now she crossed her arms over her chest, causing Barry to laugh. "What's wrong with you?"

"Everyone is getting me better gifts than I got them," She declared. "Even Eddie's shirt is dumb."

"I thought you said it wasn't a shirt," Barry pointed out.

"I lied." Her snapping at him made Barry hold his hands up defensively, though exchanging a look with Eddie and Joe made the three men burst out laughing, causing Iris's pout to deepen. "Well, since you all are going to laugh at me, I guess I'll go and get some more eggnog. Feel free to make fun of me as I leave the room." She made a show of sticking her nose in the air as she went, though Barry saw her smile as she trotted off to the kitchen.

Joe got up from the couch and walked over to Eddie and patted him on the shoulder on his way to the Christmas tree to get the next round of gifts. "You better know what you're getting yourself into, son. She goes crazy around the holidays. Once you're in you're in for the rest of your life."

"But she does a great job with Halloween," Barry defended her. He smiled with pride. "Best house on the block for the past four years."

"I'm looking forward to it," Eddie said honestly. He cleared his throat and crossed his legs the other way. "Look, guys, I…I just wanted to thank you both." Barry's eyebrows furrowed together, waiting to hear what the detective had to say. "When I first got to Central City from Keystone I had a lot that I wanted to prove. I wanted to show that I could be one of the best detectives that could come to this city."

"And if I remember correctly, that caused you to have a lot of enemies," Joe pointed out with a half smile.

"It's true. I was a little overzealous towards my goals. But I was always taught that once I made a goal, I had to reach it. I've had bosses and co-workers tell me I wasn't going to amount to much because they knew who my Dad was and what he had done, and they thought I was just going to turn out the same way. I had a huge chip on my shoulder that I tried to knock away bit by bit, day by day. But I enjoyed what I did. I know I didn't make a great first impression when I got to Central City but it was because I had such high hopes for things here." He turned to Barry. "I barely got a chance to know you before your accident but I saw how much you meant to Iris and Joe and everyone in the precinct and I wanted you to come out of your coma as much as anyone else did so I could meet you and I have to say that you have met everyone of my expectations."

"Thanks…Eddie."

Eddie then turned to Joe. "And I want to thank you, Joe, for giving me a chance at being your partner. I know we started off pretty rocky and everything but…you still gave me a chance. With the CCPD, with being your partner, with Iris…which I know can be pretty awkward as well." He laughed nervously. "But you've been a lot more to me than just a partner, you've been my friend." He looked back and forth between Joe and Barry. "I don't have a lot of family in Central City; as a matter of fact I haven't spoken to my Dad in a long time. I just called my Mom this morning to wish her a Merry Christmas and I still couldn't talk to my Dad because I didn't agree with the things he believed. Being invited over here…knowing I have some people here in Central City that I can turn to is probably the best thing I could have for Christmas. So I wanted to thank you. Both of you."

"You're welcome, Eddie," Joe said.

"Merry Christmas," Barry added.

Joe made the first move and got up, clasping his hand into Eddie's before pulling him into his arms, slapping him on the back as he hugged. Barry then stepped up next and hugged Eddie was well. It was the last thing he had ever imagined, hugging Eddie Thawne, but as long as he was dating Iris and would be Joe's partner, he was going to be a fixture in his life. Besides, Eddie wasn't so bad, he was entertaining for the most part; he had a good heart, and seemed to make Iris really happy. And nothing was more important to him.

"Merry Christmas."

* * *

"No way! This is Amazing Spider-Man issue one from the 1963 1st Series!"

"I take it that's a good thing…?"

"A _good_ thing? Do you know how much it costs? Almost 3,500 for this issue alone! Oh, I don't…I don't know how to thank you. I don't even know where you got this. I just…I need a minute to breathe."

Barry laughed to himself as he walked through the doors of the Cortex and found Cisco, Caitlin, Brady, Harrison, and Cadence all sitting in a circle, packages wrapped and unwrapped around each other. He shifted the stack that was in his hand and waved to his friends. "Hey guys," he greeted them, laughing harder when he saw Cisco leaning back in his seat, fanning his face with his hand. "What's going on?"

All of a sudden there was a low pumping sound and something struck his forehead, bobbing there. Lifting his eyes, Barry found a yellow Styrofoam dart sticking off his forehead. "Barry!" Brady shouted, his voice echoing along the walls and rafters. "Look what my Mom got me for Christmas!" He shook a massive toy gun in his hands. "It holds up twenty-five darts and can fire three of them a second. Isn't it cool?" He waved it around again and fired it towards the wall, placing three darts along the wall.

Harrison reached out and slowly lowered the gun. "Considering we have very expensive equipment around here, I think we should save the testing of this toy when we're out at the air field." He turned towards Cadence, who shrugged.

"Okay." Brady shrugged and turned back to Barry, his excitement unquestionable. "She got me a bike, too." He turned towards Harrison and smiled at him. "And Harrison got me a skateboard."

"A skateboard?" Barry repeated, joining his friends.

"Unfortunately it seems to be a fad sport that seems to defy time," Harrison commented with a half smile. He rested his cheek in his upraised palm. "I have too many people that seem to enjoy my front porch and sidewalk as their own personal skate park. I figured I'd add to the carnage."

"That sounds so responsible," Caitlin said with a teasing lift to her voice. She and Harrison exchanged a glance as she brought her hand up to her ear and started to gently tug at the bright blue earrings that hung from her earlobes. He brought his hand over his wrist to cover the glittering watch that reflected the lights of the cortex from its face.

Barry noticed Caitlin's hand movement and his eyes trained on the earrings. "Wow, those earrings are nice, Caitlin," he complemented her, passing around his gifts. "Did you get them today? Are they new?"

She froze in her movements, eyes growing wide as if caught in a lie. She shifted her glance towards Harrison once more—who smiled, seeming to enjoy the situation she had put herself in with a knowing smile—before turning them back to Barry. "What? No! I'm not…they're not. No. You see…"

"Geez, Cait, it was just a simple question," Cadence pointed out. "I don't think a tongue twister is needed as a response."

"It's not that it's just…" she cleared her throat. "They were given to me by someone very special." She managed to regain her composure as Barry grimaced. Obviously he had hit a nerve when asking about it, when it was probably something that had been left for her before Ronnie had passed. He hadn't meant to bring it up. "It's fine," she added quickly.

"Oh well, is Cisco okay? I don't think I've ever seen him so stunned."

"Barry, you don't understand," Cisco said slowly, breathlessly. He continued to stare at the ceiling. "This, this right here…"—he motioned to the comic book that lay across his chest in a plastic cover—"is the best thing I've ever gotten in my entire life. Forget birth. Forget the LEGO replica of the Millennium Falcon in my room. This is the best."

"I think you'll be singing a different tune once you see what I got you," Cadence said with a bright smile. She practically bolted out of her chair as she handed Cisco a large, wrapped square. Then she returned to her set and sat Indian style, hands clasped together in her lap, biting her lower lip as she waited for Cisco's response. Brady leaned into her and the two giggled together as they waited.

Barry smiled.

Once Cisco opened the gift he let out the loudest scream Barry had ever thought was capable. Then he leaned across the circle and hugged Cadence tightly, rocking her back and forth before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. Thank you _so_ much. And it's really his signature right?" Cadence laughed and nodded as he continued to hug her. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

"Well, what is it?" Caitlin demanded impatiently.

"Yes, I'm sure we'll all interested to know what it was that has caused you to react so positively," Harrison commented, wiggling a finger in his ear. "Especially after your reaction to the comic book that Dr. Snow and I have given you."

Barry looked over at Cadence, hoping to get a hint as to what she had given Cisco. She caught his eye and winked at him, bringing her finger up to her lips. Barry held her gaze for a moment then smiled as he shook his head. It was the similar gestures in the picture that Oliver had sent him as a gift; one of him and Roy in Starling City holding up a sign that said Arrow – 0, Flash – 0, and holding a finger to their lips as a reminder of the secret they were to keep. His smile widened and he turned to Cisco.

"She got me, Superman's autograph!" Cisco declared. He turned the framed photograph around to reveal a picture of Superman in flight with a message scribbled in the corner. " _SUPERMAN! DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW COOL THAT IS?!"_

"Uh, not as cool as The Flash," Barry defended himself.

"Or Flash Fire," Cadence added. "Sheesh, it's like no one in this city knows who I am."

"But we know who you are and we appreciate you," Caitlin said, causing Cadence to smile and laugh, tucking her hair behind her ear, almost shy. She turned to Barry and held up a bright blue box. "She got me a jewelry box."

"That's great, Caitlin," Barry said to her. He looked at Harrison and hesitated for a moment, his eyes shifting back and forth between the three generations that sat together on the side of the circle. With the way their revelation had come through, he wasn't sure how the holidays were going to transpire between them. "Did…did you uh…?"

"Oh yes." Harrison smiled. "I was pleased to receive a live recording of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra's renditions of classical composers' works." He laughed. "And it was a fitting gift as I, in turn, gave her a gift that incorporates piano as well."

Barry looked around for her gift but she shifted his attention. "Well, I can't forget your gift either," Cadence picked out a box from underneath her chair and handed it to Barry. He took it and lifted it to his ear, shaking it a little. Then he pulled back the wrapping and held his breath as he opened the box.

"Wow." He stared down at the leather bag that sat in his lap. It was similar to the one he had before, bringing along with him on every case, what he brought to Starling City the first time he met Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle…the same bag that had been destroyed when he was struck by lightning. "Where did you…I don't…"

"And I thought Caitlin was the only one who could get tongue-tied," Cisco murmured, causing Caitlin to elbow him in the side.

"This is amazing, Cadence." Barry looked up and smiled at her, she smiled warmly in reply. He held her gaze for a long moment then quickly turned away to get gifts, passing them out. "I'm sorry, mine's not as good as yours." He cringed with sudden embarrassment, realizing how Iris must have felt.

Cadence took the gift and opened it. She tilted her head to the side for a moment then started to laugh. Hard enough that her face turned red, allowing her blue-green eyes to stand out even further. She then turned the gift around.

"Darts?" Cisco looked as confused as Caitlin felt. "You hate darts. You had an entire rant against darts."

"I hate snow, too, but that didn't stop Caitlin from giving me a ski trip for my birthday," Cadence pointed out. She turned the game over in her hand, smiling down at it. "Besides it's a joke. Thanks, Tholly. I love it."

"Great." Barr grinned and nodded towards the others. "I hope you guys like your gifts, too. Dr. Wells, I brought you some of Grandma Esther's special eggnog, though I can't say with total honesty that most of it is actually eggnog."

"Yes!" Cisco declared, punching the air. "We're drinking that now."

"It's Dr. Wells' gift, Cisco," Caitlin said quickly. "He's the one that decides what to do with it."

"I'd be glad to share it with you all," Harrison said with a slight tilt of his head. "Besides, I think I can say for all of us that Barry was the gift that we got this year. For his abilities and for being someone that's really special to all of us." He placed the thermos in his lap and wheeled backwards so he was clear of the carnage of open gifts. "I'll go get the glasses."

Barry smiled and nodded as Cisco and Caitlin opened their gifts from him—one of Oliver's arrows and a leather purse that Iris had helped him pick out—then went over to Cadence, who was showing Brady the different tactical styles with Nerf gun could shift into. "So, Brady, what did you get your Mom for Christmas?"

"A necklace," Brady replied with a proud smile. "I saved my allowance for weeks to buy it." Raising an eyebrow, Barry glanced at Cadence. She held up a hand and mouthed 'gold plated' in reply and he nodded. "Oh, _and_ I gave her her pom-poms."

"What?" Barry laughed as little as Cadence shook her head. "Pom-poms?"

"Yeah, the ones she used in high school? I gave her back her pom-poms. She said she hadn't used them in a long time and I called Grandma and asked her to send them over!" He beamed over at his Mom, who smiled back at him. "She said one day she'll show me some of the old routines she used to do."

"Boy, I'd _love_ to see that." His eyes widened when he realized his mistake. "Wait. No. That's not what I meant. I didn't mean to imply…you see what I meant was…I mean, I'd like to see it, but not like _that_!" He stopped, bringing his face into his hands as Cadence continued to laugh quietly while Brady continued to look back and forth between the two, confused. "I didn't mean…"

Cadence finally managed to compose her laughter. "Don't worry about it, I'll take it as a compliment. There were pictures with the pom-poms and other stuff from high school and it was fun seeing it all again. Unlike most people I actually liked high school." She reached out and ruffled Brady's hair. "And I like my life now. I've decided to stop dwelling so much; living in the past has never seemed to work out."

Giving her a knowing smile, Barry asked, "Ryder told you that I ran into him didn't he?" She nodded. "What did he get you for Christmas?"

"Child support." The response made Barry start in surprise. "Yeah, all the child support that he missed over the years. I guess he's serious about not wanting to live in the past either so…" she shrugged. "I guess we'll see how that goes. Besides, I'm a lot happier now."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"Because I've got you guys."

The two looked eyes and grinned at each other. "Merry Christmas, Cade."

"Merry Christmas, Barry."

* * *

 **A/N:** Before anyone asks, Cisco's, Caitlin's, Harrison's, and Cadence's Christmases will be shown as well, they just weren't done in this chapter. But now that a happy/fluffy chapter is done, now comes the Reverse-Flash, the Rogues, the BlackFlash, and the plots of Caitlin, Cisco, Cadence, Brady, and Harrison as well as the ending of season 1. There's so much I'm excited to get to; season 2 especially.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	13. Moving Forward

**.:13:.**

* * *

 _Cadence closed her eyes, holding them as tightly as she could, hoping the effort would keep the pain at bay. Around her, doctors and nurses continued to give her words of encouragement but she couldn't focus on it. It was babbling nonsense to her at the moment, the pain was too blinding. She felt a rag get pressed against her forehead and let out a long breath._

 _"It's alright, Cadence, your baby is nearly here. I can already see the head. I just need you to give one more big push, okay? Just one more big push."_

 _Cadence gritted her teeth together and slightly lifted herself up, pushing as hard as she could. An exhausted sigh, mixed in with a threatening sob, came out of her mouth. It wasn't fair. It hurt too badly. There was the chance for a reprieve when the doctors left and her healing powers could kick on, but she had to concentrate on not allowing herself to heal too much until she was in the safety of her home. Still, she had never felt pain as bad; not even when she had the fever that landed her in the hospital. Even as she found herself twisting and turning, hoping the cold flashes and aching limbs would stop._

 _"C'mon, Cadence, just one more. Your baby's almost here. One last big push, okay? One more."_

 _Cadence pushed again and let out a cry of relief when she heard the sounds of a baby wailing and the doctors and nurses around her giving her words of encouragement. Next thing she knew she had her baby bundled up and in her arms, gently making cooing noises, lips puckering and falling as he got used to the world. He shifted every now and then, and Cadence could feel his feet gently push against her. With a smile, Cadence lifted her hand and gently ran her finger down her son's cheek. He let out a whimper and turned his cheek into her touch. Then he lifted his tiny hand and grabbed onto her finger with more strength she thought possible._

 _He whimpered again then his eyes slowly blinked open before focusing on her face. Then his eyes closed once more and he tightened his grip on her finger as if wanting to hold on forever. "Hey Brady," she greeted him in a hushed whisper. "Hey."_

 _Brady gently licked his lips before yawning._

 _"I'm going to take great care of you, okay? I'm not going to let anything happen to you." She leaned forward and gently pressed a kiss to his forehead. With a tired sigh she tilted her head back and laid it down into her pillow._

 _Her parents had only jus left the room to get some coffee and were probably going to be back within a few minutes to be able to hold their grandson. Ryder wasn't there, neither were his parents. She wasn't entirely surprised but it still hurt. After his promise that he didn't want to leave and that he still loved her, he hadn't responded to her messages that she was in labor and going to the hospital._

 _It was okay, though._

 _She didn't need anyone other than her son. They'd be okay._

 _…_

 _.._

 _._

"Mom?" Cadence felt her left eyelid get pulled open before her right one was given the same treatment. "Mom, are you awake?" After she didn't move it was done again and she stretched before opening her eyes. Brady stood over her in his soccer clothes, backpack packed. "Mom, I'm going to the bus stop." He paused and tilted his head to the side. "Aren't you going to be late for work?"

Startled, Cadence pushed herself up and looked over at her clock. Eyebrows furrowing together, she gazed at the time for a long moment before picking up her cell phone and illuminating the screen. She was going to be late. Quick as a flash, Cadence leapt to her feet and bounced across the bed to her bathroom to put on her makeup. She could be running late for anything, but she didn't ever leave the house without at least putting on a little bit of mascara and foundation.

"Why didn't you wake up?" she called as she ran the water in the sink, and wet her toothbrush. Brady stood in the doorway to the bathroom, hands in the pockets of his jeans as he shrugged.

"You needed some sleep," he said innocently. "Besides, you can teleport, it's not like you're _actually_ going to be late."

Cadence paused for a moment, realizing the truth of his words, and then nodded. "Good point. You are too smart than your own good, bud." Brady smiled as Cadence reached out and ruffled his hair. He then frowned and patted it, making sure every strand of hair fell back in place. "Go ahead. And have a good practice."

"I will." Brady gave her a kiss on the cheek before leaving the bathroom. "Have a good day!"

"Thanks."

Cadence quickly brushed her teeth then washed her face before putting on mascara and lip-gloss. Then pulling her hair up into a ponytail she went to her room, changed into her workout clothes—being sure to bring a bag filled with her outfit for the day—and jumped into her shoe. A blinking light on the answering machine caught her attention. She paused, looking at it for a moment before reaching out and pressing her finger into the button. There was a low beep and then the message started.

"Cadence, this is Dr. Lepeck down at Central City Mercy Hospital—"

She reached out and erased the message as soon as it started. The silence that filled the room after immediately drove her out of the apartment and down to the fitness center. She dropped her bag into the locker room and immediately headed into the room. "Sorry I'm late," she apologized as she went to pick up the head-mic that was sitting in the corner of the room. "Let me tell you that you know you're running behind when your own son is the one waking you up." She held up a hand as some of the students chuckled. "Especially if he does it the way mine does, by opening my eyelids to make sure I'm actually awake and not 'resting my eyes'." She used air quotes around the words, gaining another round of laughter. "Alright, so just give me a minute and then we can get started."

Rubbing her hands together, Cadence brought her palms to her forehead as she walked to the far side of the dance studio. She probably should have listened to the message that was left for her, it would've been better than arriving at her hours for residency that day and being blindsided with anyone. He didn't make a lot of phone calls unless it was needed.

It probably didn't help that her week long absence in Starling City wasn't explained very well. But there were some more important things to think about, knowing that Captain Boomerang was only seconds away from blowing up the city in five locations to get back at Lyla and the rest of ARGUS for something that had happened to them before…she couldn't sit back and let that happen.

Now…there were always repercussions that were bound to come up. She knew that. It was something she had seen Barry go through, his consistent lateness, even with his super powers, had some sort of backlash against him. He wasn't that highly regarded amongst his peers with the CCPD, he typically had to be told to be somewhere at a different time so that he arrived on time…there was always something going on.

At the moment she wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to juggle everything. It was starting to drive her crazy, to be honest. Not that Ryder's appearance had helped at all. She couldn't keep her mind off the child support he had finally given them or that Brady wanted him to be at his birthday party. There were so many feeling and conversations the two hadn't had and now it was being thrown in her face. Why did he want to give child support _now_ rather than secretly send it to her? Why hadn't he shown up when she was in labor? Why did he allow his parents to control his life so much? What was it that had him suddenly want to turn everything around and be part of the life he had left behind?

That wasn't the only thing that held her attention. Another part of her brain held onto the fact that she and Harrison knew each other better than they thought. Yes, the man was her father, but he wasn't her Dad…not like her own Dad was anyway. He wanted to have a relationship with her and she had no idea how to do that. He was a family friend to her, the person that showed up at her birthday parties or school events here and there as she grew up. But to know there was more to that…add in a holidays where family was the most important and she was stuck. She had no idea what to get him as a gift, though the rest of Team Flash's odds and ends had come along very easily. But Harrison…

For days she agonized over what to get him and thought about the kind of music she thought he would enjoy. Remembering some of the music he played around STAR Labs she thought an orchestra recording would be the best way to go. She had no idea that he would have remembered her love of the piano, which she had been playing since she was a little girl. Nor did she know that he played the piano as well, something he obviously passed down to her.

"Yes, I've been a fan of the piano for a long time," Harrison said in response to Cadence's shocked expression at the piano themed tea set he had given her. "If I remember correctly you play as well. I'd hoped there was something that I managed to pass down to you, you already have your mother's looks."

"I have your eyes," Cadence pointed out.

Harrison lifted a hand and waved it back and forth. "A combination effort of your mother and I." He replaced his hand to his lap. "Thank you for the recording. I shall definitely use it while I'm at work."

"Thank _you_ for the tea set," Cadence agreed. She gently lowered it to the ground, crossing her legs at the ankle. "If you want…I could play you some of the piano sometime."

If Harrison was surprised at the invitation, he didn't show it. Instead, a smile tugged at his lips and he folded his hands in his lap. "I'd really like that."

Closing her eyes, Cadence shook her head before and forth. That wasn't her focus right now. She had to pay attention to her class. Turning back towards the class she noticed her eyes in the mirror, seeing they were glowing orange, steadily turning a dark red. With a light gasp, Cadence closed her eyes, pressing the hells of her palms against her eyes and opened them again, where they returned to their normal color.

She let out a low sigh, trying to catch her breath, feeling her heart hammer in her throat. _What was that?_ She had never seen her eyes do that before. Normally it only happened when she tapped into her power to do something subtly. Startled, Cadence jerked her head back and looked towards the ceiling, as if expecting the sprinkler system to go off. When the coast was clear she lowered her chin, eyes resting on the reflections of Barry, Iris, and Eddie as they walked into the room.

"Hey," she greeted them, turning around. "I didn't think I'd see you in my classes anytime soon. You haven't been in a while. Though I can understand things may have gotten in the way," her eyes moved towards Barry as she said that, and she winked at him, causing him to hide a knowing smile.

"Well, considering everything we've eaten for Christmas we thought it would be a good idea to get some more exercise back in," Iris said, accepting the hug that Cadence gave her. She laughed to herself as Cadence and Eddie hesitated before hugging a well—they were friends, but still close to being acquaintances than anything else. She gazed at Cadence wistfully. "We can't all be as tiny as you."

Cadence managed to keep from bursting out into laughter. "I work out a lot."

Iris didn't need to know that her lithe figure was mostly credited towards her fast metabolism—whether that was from genetics or her metahuman abilities she wasn't quite sure. Not when it was one step away from revealing her secret. As it was, Brady, Team Flash, her parents, and one or two other people knew about the abilities she could do and that was only because she didn't trust many to keep it. Also because she was already looked at funny when they found out about her family life.

 _Now that Ryder's back…you might need to tell him about it,_ she reminded herself. _Just so that he isn't suddenly overwhelmed if you ever have to drop Brady off with him._ Frustration crept back into her body and she reached up a hand to rub her neck.

"Are you okay?" Barry asked, eyebrow furrowing together. "You look kinda…funny."

"Just having a slow start, but thanks for asking, Tholly." Cadence patted him on the arm as she walked by him. She then turned on her heel and looked him in the eye as she pressed her hands together, pointing at him with her index fingers. "Just for that I'm going to make an example of you. We're working on Meringue today. So I expect you to get those hips moving."

Barry groaned, tilting his head back as Iris and Eddie laughed at his plight. "You like to torture me don't you?"

"Oh you have no idea," Cadence said. Her smile widened. "And to add in on the fun, I can't help but notice that Eddie struggles a bit when doing this and you're about the same height…" She walked behind Eddie and slapped him on the back, causing him to take a step forward. "So you can be his partner."

Iris's laughter increased in volume as the two men looked at each other, their smiles fading.

"Okay, guys!" Cadence bounced over to the boom box that sat in the corner of the room and started up the music so that it blasted through the room. "We're going to do a few quick steps just to get warmed up, but then we're going to get into partners and start off on a new routine. Are you all ready?"

She got cheers—halfhearted ones from Barry and Eddie—in response.

"Great!" She beamed. "Follow me."

* * *

"Wasn't that great?" Iris asked as she, Eddie, and Barry walked into the front doors of the CCPD. "I already feel like I have more energy for the rest of the day!" As if to prove her point, she stretched her arms over her head. Lowering her arms back to her side, she turned back to Barry and Eddie, who did their best not to look at each other. "Oh come on, it's not _that_ embarrassing."

"Easy for you to say," Eddie said. He ran a hand through his hair. "You and Cadence are the same size, so doing a lift wasn't hard."

Barry's eyes widened and he held up his hands defensively. "It's not my fault that I'm all arms and legs. I told you that I was the one that should have lifted you."

"Could you hold me up?"

Barry gave Eddie a look and Iris immediately slid between the two of them, pressing their hands against their chests and pushing them back. "Okay, guys, I know you're taking this out on each other because you were so uncomfortable…" she paused and started laughing once more. "But it was so funny. I'm sorry, I just can't help it."

"Well, I'm glad you got some sense of entertainment out of it," Barry said. He took a deep breath and pled his hands on his hips. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go finish some sample analysis for Captain Singh. God forbid I do something wrong now that he's stopped glaring at me every time I pass him." He bid Eddie and Iris farewell before walking away.

Eddie looked after him for a moment before turning back to Iris. He spotted the amused smile on her face. "Look, it's not that funny." Iris continued to smile then noticed the serious expression on Eddie's fac. She raised an eyebrow, prompting him to say something. "It's nothing," he said quickly. "But, I mean…well…it's just Barry's Christmas gift to you."

"Yeah…?" Iris tilted her head to the side, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "What about it?"

"He gave you a ring, Iris," Eddie pointed out. "I mean…do you ever think…he…maybe might…like you?"

Iris's eyes immediately widened. If she had been drinking anything she would have spit it out, done a double take, and spit it out once more. What? Really? He thought that Barry _Allen_ liked her? Like, _liked her_ liked her. That was ridiculous. "What?" She couldn't keep her voice stead as the word came out. It was just…so strange, so ridiculous. There was nothing between them. "You got all of that because he gave me a copy of my mother's wedding ring? We're just friends. Best friends."

"Friends don't give friends wedding rings, Iris," Eddie pointed out patiently.

She slowly stopped smiling. "They do when it was something important to one friend." Defensively, she reached up and gently tugged on the ring that hung around her neck. "You don't get it…my Mom….she's been gone for a long time. Almost as long as I can remember. She was really special to me and Barry knew that."

"How come I didn't know that? You never talk about her?"

"What's there to talk about?"

"Barry talks about his Mom all the time." Eddie crossed his arms. Iris let out a little scoff and tilted her head to the side. What was the best way to try and explain this to him? _I never realized it was going to be so hard._ "I mean, I understand it's hard to figure out how to avoid it when everyone else knows about it? It couldn't have been easy if everyone in Central City seems to have known what happened and acted nice to his face."

"Eddie…" Iris shook her head. "Please tell me this isn't what you wanted to talk to me about. He wasn't proposing to me, silly." She reached out and gently nudged him on the arm, finding her smile once more. Anything to lighten up the situation. "He and I are just best friends. I love you." She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "Okay?"

Eddie stared at her for a long moment. Then he brought a hand up and wiped it across his mouth then smiled a little. "Well, if that's the case, I hope he doesn't mind that I give you this." He reached into the pocket of his slacks and pulled out a tiny box, handing it over to Iris.

Her eyes widened immediately at the prospect of getting another Christmas gift, this time one that she wasn't expecting, and eagerly grabbed onto it. What could it have been? He already gave her a diamond necklace, what else could he have gotten her? She puffed up her cheeks a little. _Not to self, Iris. Think of Christmas gifts for next year now. _She wasn't going to allow herself to be one-upped every year. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Eddie once more and he nodded encouragingly.

She grinned and pulled open the top of the box, and stared. Inside lay a tiny copper key. One that would seem to fit the front door of any house or apartment. But this one was a special one; she recognized it as the one that went to his apartment building. More importantly, as she would guess from the way Eddie was staring meaningfully at her, it was the key to his apartment.

"I figured that we've been together a year now and you stay there most nights anyway…" Eddie trailed off, waiting for her response.

Iris blinked rapidly. She had no idea how to respond. She wanted to scream and yell and grin like a loon. But nothing on her body was allowing her to move. She was frozen. Not in a way that would keep her rooted with fear, but out of happiness. She hadn't expected it at all. Lifting her gaze, Iris gazed at Eddie, really gazed at him. His blue eyes bore back into hers; showering her with love and warmth she had never felt from anyone or anything else. Not even her childhood puppy looked at her with so much love. And everything he had said had been true. They were together for a year, she was there most of the time anyway—though her father wasn't particularly happy with that—he protected her at every turn…

Why wait any longer?

"I love you," she said, feeling herself get choked up. A lump formed in her throat and she did her best to keep from smiling like a lunatic. "I love you, so much."

A grin slid across Eddie's face and she could see his shoulders slump with relief. With so much relief, in fact, it looked like he was seconds away from being knocked over. "So I take it that's a yes," Eddie said.

"Of course it's a yes. Yes, it's a yes!" Iris threw her arms around Eddie's neck and hugged him tightly. She held onto him for a moment before leaning back and giving him a kiss. "How did you wait so long…? I could've been there already."

"Well…I wanted to be sure it was the best time. I wanted everything to go perfectly."

Iris raised an eyebrow before removing her arms and placing her hands on her hips. "And you thought that doing it in the lobby of the CCPD was that?"

"Well…" he licked his lips. "I could have done it before Zumba class but that wasn't great, and I could've done it after, but by then I was all sweaty and gross and that wouldn't have been a good look for me." Eddie smiled down at her. "I'm glad you're moving in. I love you."

"I love you, too." Iris kissed him again. His arms encircled her and he lifted her off her feet and placed her back onto the ground. They were so wrapped up in each other they didn't notice Joe coming their way until he cleared his throat from right beside them. Eddie reacted so violently that he nearly threw Iris off him and she landed on the ground, stumbling slightly.

"Joe!" Eddie wiped off his mouth once more. "I, uh…we…we didn't see you there."

Joe only had eyes for his partner. "I can see that, Detective," he remarked. Then his eyes moved to Iris to Eddie, back to Iris, then back to Eddie again. "Is there something wrong?"

"No!" Iris clasped her hands behind her back. "What makes you say that?"

"Because you're both looking at me like you just got caught cheating on a math test," he said slowly. Iris laughed calmly and shoved her hands into her jacket pocket. The new jacket her father had given her for Christmas and she absolutely loved. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, daddy," Iris said. "Not much. We were just talking about future plans. You know…because of The Flash and all of these other people that come around here…you never know what the future holds." She smiled over at Eddie before turning back to her father, who stared at her suspiciously. "Is there something wrong, Dad? You look worried."

For a moment Joe looked confused. Then his expression cleared and he clapped Eddie on the shoulder.

"We need to get to Mercury Labs," he said. "Something big has gone down."

* * *

After soccer practice, Brady headed off field with the rest of his teammates. He hummed to himself as he went, thinking about the different plays they had just been given. He gently kicked a soccer ball forward as he went, flicking it up to bounce on his knees ever few seconds.

"Brady. Brady!"

Brady turned around and caught his soccer ball in his hands as Connor ran over to him, sports bag flopping at his side as he went. "Hey." Brady turned back towards him and looked around for a moment. "What's up? Good practice, huh? I think we're going to win this upcoming game."

Conner smiled as he came to a stop by Brady before they fell in step with each other. "Totally. I heard that the other team hasn't won a game yet so far. And we're all really good."

"I hope the coach already has our pizza ordered then," Brady joked, already starting to get hungry from the promise their coach had made to them at the beginning of practice. It looked like it was going to be a reality rather than wishful thinking.

"Anyway, do you want to come to my house? My Mom says it's okay. I have a lot of video games we can play or we can practice the plays we just learned."

"I'm kind of tired, actually. But I can't say no to a video game. Which ones do you have?"

"A lot. I have a Wii, an Xbox, and a Playstation 4."

Brady's eyes widened. "Wow! Your Mom let you get all of them?"

Connor shrugged. "They were birthday and Christmas gifts." He gazed and Brady curiously. "Does your Mom not let you play?"

"I can play," Brady replied. _I just think going to STAR Labs is a lot more fun._ He pressed his lips together, knowing he couldn't say anything like that. There were too many people that already knew of Barry's secret and not many that knew about his Mom's. It wasn't his secret to tell. "But my Mom says she doesn't want me to be spoiled so she doesn't get me everything." _But she can also teleport me wherever I need to go and does a bunch of fire powers that no one else has._

"Oh, I get it." Connor grinned. "Your grandparents give you a lot of gifts, right?"

Brady laughed. "Right."

The two continued across the field, heading towards the parking lot. "So how come you've been out of school a lot? You weren't in class last week?" It was an innocent question but Brady wasn't really sure how to answer it. One thing he could say for sure, he had gotten really good at lying.

"My Mom had some stuff for work that she had to do."

"Why didn't you just stay with your Dad?"

"He's not around. Not really." Brady shrugged.

"Oh." Connor frowned. Then he brightened slightly. "My Dad's not really around either. So I know what it's like. But I guess my Mom feels kind of guilty about it, so I sort of get what I want. My Mom's cool though."

"So's mine," Brady agreed. He tossed the soccer ball into the air and shot it forward with a header and Connor immediately raced after it, trapping it with his feet before sending it back towards Brady, who trapped it, kicked it up into the air with a quick flick of his feet, and punted it down field. The boys ran after it, gently pushing each other out of the way before they reached the parking lot where a young woman stood by a car, looking at her phone.

Abandoning the ball, Connor raced towards her. "Mom!" He called, waving a hand over his head. "Mom." Brady picked up the ball and trotted after him. "Mom, this is my friend Brady Nash. Brady, this is my Mom."

"Hi." Brady greeted Ms. Hawke with a warm smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Brady," Ms. Hawke said with a smile of her own.

"I invited him over to the play some video games," Connor said. "His Mom said its okay." Without a backwards glance he opened the back door and slid across the seat to leave room for Brady. He climbed into the backseat of the car after him and quickly buckled up.

"Well, it's good to have you with us, Brady," Ms. Hawke said. She rounded the car and got into the front seat. "If there's anything you need please let me know. Is there anything you want for a snack?"

Brady twisted his mouth to the side as he thought about it. "Popcorn?"

"Popcorn it is then." Ms. Hawke turned on the car and started to back out of the parking lot.

Brady smiled and leaned back in his seat, but then frowned a second later as something on the radio caught his attention. "…at Mercury Labs. The witness says he saw a yellow blur, a man in a yellow suit, from his hiding place. At the moment there are no leads to a suspect. However it is still unknown how the man had managed to get onto a floor hat was so heavily guarded by security. The CCPD are investigating."

His breath catching in his throat, Brady fumbled for his backpack and started to root through the pockets. Connor looked at him curiously. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." Brady grabbed his phone and immediately punched in the speed-dial. "I just need to call my Mom."

* * *

 **A/N:** Finally got to the Reverse Flash stuff. I'm so excited. I think I may have said that before, haha. Anyway, this chapter took longer than I anticipated to be put up, I had a lot of school work I had to do before break, which I'm now on. So I should be able to update again soon.

I apologize for any misspellings that I may not have caught, or missing letters. The keyboard on my computer isn't working so well and I'm going to get a new one soon. So we got a little more into Brady's POV, for something to look forward to there's some big things happening with him soon. _And_ I got a Harrison/Cade scene in, though I still have to do some with Harrison and Brady.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	14. The Man In Yellow

**.:14:.**

* * *

Barry cried out in pain as he was swept off his feet and crash landed on the set of practice mats below him. His feet went up over his head and he rolled heels over head until he came to a stop. Letting out a low groan, he brought a hand up to his forehead and gently shook his head back and forth—anything so that he could get the stars to stop spinning before his eyes—and he thought getting attacked by Oliver hurt.

Getting to his knees, he took a deep breath through his teeth and stretched out his arms, allowing his healing powers to kick in and soothe the sore muscles in his back and the bruises that were bound to form if he were merely human. Then he rolled out his neck and got back to his feet, ready to go again.

"Don't you think we should stop them?" Caitlin asked Harrison as the two and Cisco watched the fight intently.

Harrison, whose cheek rested in his hand, merely shrugged in response with an almost giddy smile on his face. "Both of them need to train and as it is. We know Cadence is stronger than Barry, or at least has a lot more control over her powers because of how long she's had them. With other people like Oliver and Roy having been working on their craft for a few years now…Barry needs all the help he can get."

"But to have them fight where Cadence isn't supposed to hold back?" Caitlin asked, looking down at the tablet that rested in her hands, monitoring the levels of energy that the two metahumans were using. Cadence seemed to not even have broken a sweat while Barry had been beaten up pretty easily. "Especially because you also told Barry he can't use his speed."

"His speed has the opportunity to hinder him from time to time," Harrison explained calmly. His blue eyes continued to shift back and forth as Cadence and Barry started to encircle each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. "He has to learn that he can't rely on that speed to get him out of each and every situation he finds himself in. As it is, his fighting is a bit sloppy."

"You sound like you've been listening to a lot of what Oliver has had to say," Cisco pointed out from Harrison's other side. He, like Brady who was standing next to him, watching intently, had a big grin on his face. It was no question who was enjoying the fight and who was being serious about it. "Do you really think that it'll make that much of a difference?"

"You never know if you don't try," Brady piped up. He looked over at Harrison, as if for approval, and grinned when Harrison smiled and nodded in reply. The young boy turned back to the fight and watched intently.

"Are you getting tired?" Cadence taunted Barry, stretching her arms over her head.

Barry shook his head, placing his hands on his hips. "Not yet," he replied. "You seem to forget that I can heal pretty quickly. Your last punch really tickled."

"So I guess that's why you rolled back to her feet after two minutes of lying on the ground? It makes me wonder how badly you would've done at football tryouts."

Barry's eyes widened in surprise as he sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. He could've sworn that was a secret kept between him, Iris, and Joe. How many other people knew about that disastrous two-day tryout? He had done pretty well when it came to running the ball downfield, he had the quick feet, long arms and legs that kept him pushing forward as hard as he could, and he could catch pretty well. But…his throwing wasn't that great and he was knocked flat each and every time he was hit by the offensive. To the point that he had started to become afraid of anyone that was going to rush at him and nearly flinched anytime the sounds of the helmets crashed together.

"Who told you about that?" He demanded.

Cadence let out a startled shriek of laughter. "Wow, I was just kidding. I didn't know that actually happened."

"Can we get back to the fight, please?" Cisco's voice wafted over them. "We don't pay you to just snark at each other. I want to know who's the better superhero." He crossed his arms over his chest a light pout coming to his face. "Especially because we didn't get to see the fight Barry and Oliver had."

Barry caught Cadence's eye and the two grinned at each other. It was something they weren't supposed to talk about, it had been part of their agreement. With the last day they had in Starling City, Oliver and Barry had really wanted to see who the better fighter between them was. So along with Cadence and Roy, Oliver took them to an abandoned warehouse that he said he had plans to turn into a training center specific for Team Arrow. So far it was completely empty other than the support beams that littered the room, but according to Oliver's promise, it would be very helpful for the training of both of their teams.

"You could've invited everybody," Barry pointed out as he and Oliver walked side-by-side to the center of the warehouse. "They would've liked this." He did his best to keep his excitement out of his voice. Other than the fight he had against Oliver when he was under the control of Bivolo, he truly wanted to see what an honest to God fight with the Arrow would be like. Now he was getting his chance and he was seconds away from losing control and taking laps around the room to lose some of his nervous energy.

"I know they would've loved this, but this is just for us," Oliver replied, keeping his eyes forward. Barry rolled his eyes for a moment, glancing over at Roy and Cadence, who stood on opposite sides of the room, arms crossed as they waited for the fight to begin.

"You mean the one of you, this was your idea," Barry reminded him.

Oliver's face twitched slightly. "You can't expect me to believe that you don't want to know, once and for all, who would win. Me or You."

"You mean if you don't shoot me in the back again." Barry moved his gaze towards the ceiling as he remembered the shock and pain that had shot through his body when the two arrows projectile launched out of their arsenal and struck him in the back. What hurt worse was Oliver's careless attitude at the time.

"You've got to get over that, Barry," Oliver said with impatience at the edge of his tone.

"Okay, I have _superpowers_! You have arrows that run out."

"I have strategy and tactical awareness."

"And an ego bigger than Texas," Cadence pointed out, causing Oliver to lift a hand and point towards her, though his eyes were still ahead. Cadence held her hands up defensively although there was a bright grin on her face and a warm twinkle in her eyes. "I'm just saying. There are some things that follow you from childhood."

Roy laughed and asked, "Do you want to go against him next?"

"That'd be fun."

Barry smiled and turned back to Oliver. "When I'm fighting you it's literally like you're standing still."

At that, Oliver stopped on a dime and turned towards Barry with a calm expression on his face. However Barry could see his grasp tighten against the bow that rested in his palm, as well as the sides of his jaw clench. He was doing his best to keep from allowing his irritation to show. "That's tough talk, are you ready to back it up?"

"Oh yeah." Barry's smug smile faded into a serene expression as he studied Oliver's face. Though there was an air of friendly competition moving between them, Barry still felt badly about the way things had happened between him and Oliver. It wasn't his fault but…he still wanted to clear the air. "Hey, by the way…you were wrong." Oliver's eyebrows twitched together. "When you told me I could inspire people, you told me you couldn't. But you're wrong. You can inspire. Not as the Arrow, that guy's a douche." Oliver couldn't help but laugh. "But as Oliver Queen."

"Thank you…and since we're sharing…you were wrong, too."

Barry's eyes shifted back and forth. There weren't many times that he had ever been proven wrong. He had a high level of intellect as it was, questioning things that most people wouldn't think to question. Hell, he had a double major in physics and chemistry. So what was it that he could've said in Starling City that would make Oliver say that. "When?"

"Right now." Oliver reached out and poked Barry in the middle of the chest. "Because you think you can kick my ass."

"Alright, well, if you think you can kick mine, you better do it fast. "

"I get it Barry, I get it. You're fast."

Barry then laughed as he zoomed to the far side of the warehouse and waited for Oliver to get ready. "C'mon Barry!" Cadence called over to him, clapping her hands encouragingly. "You can do it!" She even went as far as to do a toe touch and pump her fist in the air. "Woohoo!"

"Okay, I can't do that," Roy said. "But you got this, Oliver. You've been doing this longer than he has. And like you said his speed has nothing on your strategy." He turned a smiled towards Cadence. "Make a bet? What does the other person get if their team mate wins?"

"Dinner at Big Belly Burger," Cadence said after a minute.

"It's a date," Roy declared.

"Are you ready?" Barry asked, waiting for Oliver to get into position. The Arrow nodded and pulled an arrow out of his quiver and pulled back on the string of the bow. He let go of the arrow and it shot towards Barry, who caught it in his hand, inches from his face. He then brought up his other hand and did the same with the second arrow that came his way. Smirking, he tossed them to the ground and raced towards Oliver as he continued to shoot arrows towards him.

And the fight was on. Back and forth the vigilante and the superhero went as they fought each other. Their punches, kicks, and abilities moved along in a whirlwind until they finally tired out in a draw. As they were leaving the four of them promised that they wouldn't reveal the whereabouts of their fight as well as the outcome of the fight. It was something that was supposed to just be kept from them. Of course that didn't stop Cisco and Brady from asking over and over again but the four had kept their mouths shut.

"Last two minutes," Harrison called, breaking into Barry's thoughts. "Don't hold back."

With those words, Barry turned his attention back to Cadence and was surprised to find her sprinting directly towards him. Before he could react she punched him hard in the chest and pulled her arm back to punch him against in the stomach. Leaning out of the way—though she came close enough so that he felt a rush of air move by his head—Barry grabbed onto her waist and drove his feet into the mat, causing Cadence to backpedal until she lost her balance and fell onto her back. Thinking he had won, Barry loosened his grasp on Cadence and that gave her enough time to lift up her legs, wrap them around his chest, and use their momentum to roll backwards until he was pinned to the ground beneath her. She straddled his waist, one hand on his shoulder to keep him on the ground, and the other above his head with flames encircling it.

"That's enough," Caitlin cried quickly. "That's enough, you can stop now!"

Cadence's eyes locked with Barry and she smiled a little before she rolled off of her friend and popped to her feet, before reaching out with her hand. Barry gazed up at the ceiling as if in a daze. Then his eyes shifted over to her and he grabbed onto her hand, allowing himself to get pulled to his feet.

"Sorry," Cadence apologized, pushing her hair back behind her ears. She frowned anxiously. "Are you alright?"

Other than his slightly bruised ego, he was fine. It's not like he hadn't been beaten by a girl before; Iris had shown great pride and glee when Joe had instructed the two of them to do some sparring against each other when he was teaching them how to box. More often than not he had been beaten by Iris, something she wouldn't allow him to forget. But that didn't mean he didn't find the upper hand every now and then, especially as they had gotten older and Barry's height and weight managed to make up most of his advantage. "I'm fine," Barry said. He dusted off his clothes, starting to walk off the practice mats. "Remind me to never fight against you again."

"Just make sure you don't get whammied again I'll make sure of that," she said, patting him on the back.

"You have to remember, Barry, that she has a background in gymnastics, which really does help in terms of getting across small spaces in a short amount of time," Caitlin said gently as she handed him a water bottle. "If you were able to use your speed, then you would have done much better. But the point of his exercise is to train you for circumstances where you'd be _without_ your speed."

"Yeah, I guess," Barry agreed. He took a swig of water and nodded at her. "Thanks Caitlin."

"Anytime." She smiled at him.

"Now that we have that out of the way," Harrison said, coming to a stop next to Cadence. "We have to figure out how much of a handle you have on your powers. As you have explained to us before, you have to work very hard to stay in control. What would happen if you ever dropped that control?"

Cadence blinked rapidly. "You don't want me to do that," She muttered, almost stuttering.

"Considering everything we stand for here at STAR Labs, I can assure you it's something that we want to see."

"Yeah, we need to know what would happen in case something stronger than Bivolo comes along," Cisco pointed out. "Or if there's a chance that we can figure out how to get you further than the steady area you hold your powers at now. What happens? Can you burst into flame?"

"Sort of," Cadence said slowly. She appeared pained to answer the question. "I've only had it happen once, I don't really try to—"

Harrison broke into his daughter's sentence with a tough, "show me. There's no other way to get a handle on your powers." With a sigh, Cadence nodded. Instinctively, Barry took a step back, and it wasn't a moment too soon that he did so.

Cadence's shoulders dropped as if the weight of the world was off her shoulders and her entire body and the surrounding area around her immediately burst into flame. As if there was a light switch that turned on and off the control of her powers. Raising a hand up over his face, Barry shielded his eyes from the glare and watched in awe as the colors of the flames that encircled her body continued to range from white to red to yellow to orange over and over. But as the seconds passed each color started to darken.

"Dr. Wells," Caitlin said quickly, a panicked edge to her tone. She held onto the tablet with one hand and started to move her fingers along the different graphs and images that appeared on screen. "She's exhibiting the same power flux she had when coming out of her coma after the fight with Bivolo. It's not good. You need to stop her now."

Harrison glanced over at Caitlin for a moment, as if wanting to keep going, and then raised his hand, allowing Brady to rush to the side of the room and grab a fire extinguisher. He held it out to Cisco, who had come up behind him. Cisco hurried over to Cadence and started to put out the fires that started to melt the plastic of the practice mats as Cadence took control of her powers once more. The flames surrounding her body went out and she sighed.

Barry's eyes widened and he turned away at the quickest speeds he could manage, Cisco lowered his head and brought a hand up to shield his eyes, Brady covered his mouth with his hands, Harrison turned his chair away, and Caitlin gasped loudly before hurrying over to a nearby cabinet to grasp what was inside.

Cadence, noticing the reactions of her friends, as well as a notable and sudden draft, blinked, looked down, and then screamed as she flung her arms around her naked body to cover herself. Caitlin quickly appeared at her side with a STAR Labs sweatshirt and she grabbed it before teleporting out of the room.

"I think we're done for the day," Harrison said calmly. He turned back to Barry and placed his hands into his lap. "Are you ready to accompany me to Mercury Labs? I'm sure that Dr. McGee is there by now."

Barry nodded and with a mutter of, "Let me just change really quick".

...

..

.

He thought he would have been able to push everything out of his head, to have a chance to feel like things were going back to normal. But now that it was time to head off to Mercury Labs, he knew that wasn't possible. Once the call went in to the CCPD about the break-in at Mercury Labs he, Eddie, and Joe had immediately gone onto the scene to know that something that the laboratory had been holding onto was gone.

That wasn't the hard part. The hard part was what the witness had said he had seen. A man in a blur, in a yellow suit. The one that managed to move at such high speeds that no camera could get a clear look on the man's face, nor an adequate explanation as to how some blood splatters of those that had been hit managed to get so far so quickly. It had to be the same person that he had seen the night his mother was murdered. His heard leapt into his throat when the suspect was described; it was everything he had been waiting for. A break in the case, a way to prove that his father wasn't anyone that was to be afraid of.

Now was the time for them to get to Mercury Labs to know what was stolen, to figure out how to lure in and capture the Man in the Yellow suit before he started up again. Barry changed quickly and bid goodbye to his friends, being careful not to make eye contact with Cadence, who was pouting with her hands shoved into the front pocket of her STAR Labs sweatshirt, and left STAR Labs. The two were silent the whole way to Mercury Labs, Barry completely wrapped up in thoughts about his father.

 _I'm going to get Dad out of jail,_ he told himself over and over again. Maybe if he said it more he'd start to believe it. Besides, what was it that a Tachyon device could do? He wasn't even completely sure he knew what it was let alone what the Man in the Yellow Suit would want with it. The two went into the building, asked for Dr. McGee, and were immediately directed to a small waiting area, where they didn't' have to wait long for her.

Barry noticed her immediately; she strode forward with confidence and a no-nonsense air around her that caused Harrison to smile. "Barry Allen," he greeted her as she shoved her hand forward with gusto and introduced herself. "Thank you for coming in."

"I assume this is about last night's break in," she commented, shaking his hand firmly.

"Well, yes and no," Harrison said with a light bob of his head. At the sound of his voice, Barry couldn't help but notice a sour expression come along Dr. McGee's face before she turned towards him, acknowledging him for the first time since they arrived. _Obviously there's history between the two of them._

"Well, that's the way things normally go with you, isn't it Harrison?" She asked coolly.

He smiled.

Barry cleared his throat and took a step forward, taking Dr. McGee's attention once more. "We believe that whoever broke in was after one of your prototypes. One containing tachyonic particles." He phrased it like a question, so that any suspicion she was feeling may have been eliminated by his innocent like charm. There had to be _some_ good reason for having a young looking face as well as the nickname BabyFace at the CCPD if he couldn't use it in some way.

Dr. McGee hesitated, glancing over at Harrison once more, who looked back at her with an amused expression on his face. "We've had success with them, yes. But there's still a significant gap between our prototype and any real life application."

"We were hoping you could lend ups your prototype to use as a lure," Barry said, getting right to the point.

"You're assisting the police now, Harrison?" Dr. McGee's eyebrows rose in surprise as she turned back to her colleague once more. Barry understood how hesitant Harrison might have been in terms of working with the police. It was the police that had worked with him long and hard to figure out whether or not he should have been charged when it came to the deaths of those affected by the Particle Accelerator explosion. Not to mention if the police came too close to what they were doing at STAR Labs, currently, there would be more things they had to figure out.

Harrison crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back in the seat of his wheelchair. He kept his eyes on her. "In this particular case, Tina, once the suspect is apprehended your prototype will be returned." He sniffed. "You know nobody wants to ensure the future's technology more than me."

Dr. McGee visibly bristled and turned her sharp gaze back to Barry, whose heart immediately dropped into his stomach. "I appreciate the CCPD's concern, Mr. Allen. But I assure you that Mercury Labs is quite capable of protecting their own assets. Good luck with your manhunt."

In dismay, Barry watched her leave, taking his only chance to get his father out of jail with her.

* * *

Caitlin stared at the background of her computer screen. One of her and Ronnie shortly after he had asked her to be his girlfriend. For a guy that was so confident in everything else in his life, she thought it was cute that he was old fashioned enough to actually ask her to be in a serious relationship with him. She hadn't looked at the photo in a long time, but now…she found herself thinking about him more and more. Not just because she still found her heart aching for him as she woke up alone in her bed and went along her daily routine alone, but because of when she had seen him at the mall. He didn't look the same; he didn't look like _her_ Ronnie.

And…it was the holidays, it was hard. Even when she heard a knock on the door to her apartment she somewhat expected to find Ronnie on the other side, having gained control of his powers and ready to apologize for having kept it quiet that he was alive for so long. So much so that she felt her face drop when she opened the door to reveal Harrison sitting on the other side with a brightly wrapped gift sitting on his lap.

"Last I checked, most women got excited at the sight of gifts," Harrison joked lightly. He rolled inside as Caitlin took a step back so that he could clear the doorway.

Caitlin brought a hand to her forehead and smiled softly. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I was just—"

"—Thinking about Ronnie," he interjected. "I believed you would be."

For a moment, Caitlin froze. How did he know about her seeing him at the mall? She hadn't said anything and she was sure that Cadence hadn't said anything either. "I…How did…"

Harrison gazed at her with his blue eyes, now looking at her with a hint of empathy as he stood up from his wheelchair. "I understand how hard the first holidays can be after losing someone that was very special to you." He took a deep breath. "It's a painful lump sitting in the middle of your chest that you hope will go away in time, but continues to sit there until you come to terms with the fact they're gone. Trust me when I say I understand how that feels."

"I…" Caitlin didn't know what to say. _Is he talking about Tess or Cadence?_

Rather than keep her guessing, Harrison reached out and handed her the box he was holding. "I hope this makes up for a little bit," he said to her. Wordlessly, Caitlin took the box and looked it over for a few moments before she unwrapped it, to find a velvet box sitting inside. Opening that she gasped at the bright blue earrings that sat inside. If she had to guess, they were sapphires, either way, they were too expensive. "I don't…wow…Harrison, they're beautiful," she remarked, holding them up to look at them in the light. "But this must have cost you a fortune."

"Oh not that much," Harrison said with a wave of his hand. "As it is, money is not a matter of concern at the moment."

Caitlin didn't know what to say. There were no words that would accurately convey what she was feeling. Confusing, elation, regret, guilt, surprise, happiness…they rolled through her like a tidal wave. Finally, she allowed herself to relax and held up a hand. She went back to her room and opened a dresser drawer, taking out a plastic box. She held it tightly to her chest and walked back to the living room, where Harrison continued to stand where she had left him.

"Here," she said, holding out the box with shaky hands. "This is for you. From me. I mean, this one is just from me."

"Well, I did enjoy the gift that you and Cisco both got me, but it is a nice surprise to see that you've gotten me something as well." Harrison made a show of shaking it by his ear before opening it to find a watch inside. "If you're trying to tell me something about my tardiness, I think you should tell Barry rather than me," he joked.

Caitlin laughed. "No, it's not about that. I just thought that you would like it. It's kind of elegant and strong, just like you." She felt her cheeks flush as Harrison smirked at her and immediately placed the watch on. _Gosh, that was probably the most stupid thing I've ever said._ She couldn't help it. It was the first holidays she had without Ronnie…but the first one with Harrison. If they were even together—together. They still hadn't really started to talk about it.

As if sensing her thought, Harrison walked over and placed a hand on her cheek. "It's nothing you have to worry about. We can have the conversation when you're ready." He leaned closer to her, putting his mouth closer to her ear. "Though I hope you don't have me wait too long. I have a tendency to be a bit impatient."

Caitlin felt a chill run down her spine as Harrison pulled back and looked into her eyes once more. Caitlin was the one to make the first move, leaning forward and pressing her mouth against his. Harrison quickly discarded the box his watch came in and wrapped his arms around her as he responded to her embrace.

And now…

"Caitlin, are you okay?" Brady's voice sounded next to her and she turned in her seat to find him standing next to her, holding onto the soccer ball he had brought with him to STAR Labs that day. "You look kind of sad." He looked over at the computer screen and peered at it. "Is that Ronnie?"

"Yeah…"

In the seat ahead of her, Cisco turned around at the sound of his former friend's name. "What's up, Cait?"

"Ronnie's alive," she said. "I saw him." She shook her head as she remembered it. It had been scary, but she knew his face better than anyone else's. But he hadn't seemed to remember her, even though he didn't try to attack her. _He only attacked Cadence,_ Caitlin realized. _Once he saw her. And…and there was that small bit of smoke I smelled back when I was at Harrison's house…_ "I think he might have been following me."

"Following you?" Now Brady looked concerned. "Are you sure, Caitlin?"

"I'm sure," she insisted. Then she looked at Cisco and saw an unreadable expression on his face. Something that looked really…weird. Unlike him. Very serious. "I'm telling you the truth. Cadence saw him, too."

Cadence, who had been sitting quietly at the desk that had been set up for her, let out a low sigh as she turned in her seat once her name had been mentioned. She shoved her hands into the pocket of her sweatshirt once more and nodded when Cisco looked at her curiously.

"At the mall," she agreed. "Ronnie was there when we were going to the parking garage after buying gifts. He attacked us." She paused and held up her finger to correct herself. "He attacked me, actually."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Cisco demanded.

Cadence looked him in the eye. "Because Caitlin asked me not to." She said it like it was the end of a conversation, like that settled things. And Caitlin felt herself smile, realizing how quickly Cadence was to come to her defense when things started to get a bit tough. She was even quick to save her when Ronnie had started to lose control the first time.

"Ronnie's dead, Cait," Cisco said as gently as he could muster. "You know that. He died in the explosion. You went to his funeral." Caitlin shook her head. That funeral had been closed casket, there was nothing there for them to bury.

"He's alive. And he's out there." She said to so firmly. She knew deep down in her heart that he was there. Looking for her, maybe? Maybe he needed her help. "And I need your help to find him."

Cisco sucked in a deep breath, closing his eyes. Finally he said, "Fine, I'll help you. Just…as long as you don't get at what _I_ have to tell _you_."

Caitlin's eyebrows furrowed.

* * *

Barry sat back in his office chair as he stared at the map of evidence he had against the Man in the Yellow suit. Things that linked together his mother's case to him. Anything and everything he could ever find. For years he traced every path he could find, hunted down every piece of evidence and ignored every naysayer that came his way. And now here he was, sitting in his office in the CCPD wondering what he was going to do now that the only thing that could lure in the guy in the present wasn't in his grasp to help him.

"Here." He jumped when a bag of Big Belly Burger landed in his lap and he looked up to find Cadence dropping down into a chair across from him, crossing her legs at the knee. "Harrison said you might be here," she said. "Especially after what happened with Dr. McGee."

"Yeah, well…" he lowered his hands from behind his head, where they were locked together. "It doesn't seem to matter now. She's not giving it to us." His eyes continued to stare at the map behind her and Cadence followed his gaze before turning around.

She stood up and looked over the magazine articles, pictures, and everything in between that connected it all. She stopped at a picture of his mother and father and studied it. "You have your Mom's eyes," she commented, causing Barry to smile a little. "Your Dad's a doctor?"

"Was," he automatically corrected her. "I mean, once he was put in jail he had his license revoked."

"I'd think so, but still…he must've worked hard." Cadence sat down on her office chair once more, tucking her hair behind her ear. "You must be proud of him."

"He was always more proud of me," Barry replied. He let out a low sigh and started to unravel his burger. Then his eyes trailed to her sweatshirt and he couldn't help but bring up what had happened earlier that day. "Look, about what happened at STAR Labs today…" he said slowly. Cadence eyed him warily and he rushed to continue. "I didn't see anything, I swear." He was silent for a moment before asking, "What does Jamais seul mean?"

Cadence's eyes widened. "I thought you said you didn't see anything."

"Fast eyes," he replied apologetically. "I didn't realize I saw it until I saw it."

The fire metahuman at least had the grace to look a little embarrassed, a light flush coming to her cheeks. Barry chuckled as he took a bite of his burger. "It means 'Never Alone' in French," she explained. "I got it a little bit after Brady was born. Funny enough, it was the only thing I remembered form any of my French classes. Though I'm surprised you were even able to see it, it's usually hidden so well."

"Well, considering what happened…"

"Yeah, yeah, I don't need to relieve it. It's like my worst nightmare coming true."

"Oh my God."

"It's not _that_ bad."

"No. Look." Barry got to his feet and looked out the window of his office. Cadence squeezed by his side and the two looked out towards the roof of the building next door. Barry wanted to reach up and rub his eyes but he was afraid that doing so would ruin what he was seeing. Still, it was like his own dream coming true. The Man in Yellow stood atop the roof, staring at him. "It's him," he breathed, breath fogging up the window.

"Barry," Cadence started.

The Man in Yellow disappeared off the roof and Barry turned on his heel to chase after him, fast enough to hear Cadence's cry of "Barry!" before it died on the wind.

He ran out onto the streets of Central City where he cornered the Man in Yellow in a dead-end alley. Coming to a stop, his eyes widened as he stared down at the man that had made his life a living hell. "You were in my house," he said. "You were there that night. You killed my mother. _Why_?!" He shouted.

The Man in Yellow lifted his chin. "If you want to know that," he growled, voice distorted by the rapid vibration of his body. "You're going to have to catch me." With that, he shot by Barry in a streak of red and Barry shot after him once more. As if his feet grew wings, he chased the Man in Yellow with every twist and turn, buildings, cars, and people racing by at top speed. He wasn't that far behind him, just a few more steps and he would have him. They turned a corner and Barry caught the distinct scent of smoke. Twisting his head around, he found Cadence running a long behind them. Though she didn't have the same sort of speed Barry did, she kept up using little bursts of teleportation as she did so.

Facing forwards once more, Barry stopped once more when the Man in Yellow stopped on the football field of Central City University's stadium. Barry stopped and watched the man, gritting his teeth as he fought to catch his breath. Then the Man in Yellow launched himself across the field and Barry flung himself at him as well. The two met in the middle of the field and Barry cried out in pain as he was immediately knocked over, crashing to the ground.

"Barry!" Cadence teleported by his side then over to the Man in Yellow. She sent a stream of fire his way, then followed it up with an uppercut punch, but was lifted by the front of her sweatshirt and thrown aside like a bug.

Barry gasped as he looked up; the Man in Yellow appeared by his side once more. "Not fast enough, Flash!" he taunted. Barry got to his feet and they were off again, running up and down the bleachers, around the seats, and through the hallways of the building. They ended up on the football field once more where the Man in Yellow flung him to the ground.

"Who are you?" Barry demanded once he came to a stop, getting to his knees.

The Man in Yellow zipped directly in front of him. "You know who I am," he growled. He punched Barry once more, sending him back onto the ground, writhing in pain. "We've been at this a long time. But I'm always one step ahead. It is your destiny to lose to me, just as it is was your mother's destiny to die that night."

A hot flash went through Barry's body and he immediately saw red. Images of his mother filled his head. Her smiling. Her laughing. The way she used to giving him a knowing smile even when she knew he did something wrong. The way she curled up on the couch with a good book. The terror on her face the night she did. The way she screamed for his father's and his safety. The way she looked when she was gone. The life taken from her.

No.

Screaming with rage, Barry got to his feet and threw a hard punch towards the Man in Yellow. His arms were knocked out of the way and he was struck hard in the chest, sent off his feet once more. Cadence teleported back to where he had been standing and sent a wave of smoke into the Man in Yellow's face. He recoiled and she punched and kicked towards him, but he blocked her shots and stuck her hard in the chest, causing her to fly back to the ground next to Barry, landing with a hard thud.

"Goodbye Flash," the Man in Yellow said before racing out of the stadium.

Barry watched him go, rolling onto his back as he coughed in pain. He sucked in a short breath and coughed again, closing his eyes.

On the bright side, he didn't see the Black Flash this time around.

* * *

 **A/N:** Woohoo! Finally got to the Reverse-Flash goodness. And let me just tell you, I've got some good stuff with that coming if I do say so myself.

What about that crossover? I'm really enjoying it. I thought it would be hard to match up to what it was last year but it's actually pretty good. Plus the fact that it doesn't just feel like a stepping stone for Legends of Tomorrow, it really feels like a Flash episode. So that's good. But I can't wait to see more about Zoom again.

So what did you guys think of the chapter? Please let me know.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	15. No More Secrets, No More Lies

**.:15:.**

* * *

Cadence shot awake with a start and immediately rolled out of bed, backing herself into the corner of the room, waiting for whatever was ready to attack her. Her eyes adjusted to the light and a relieved sigh so long it was if her lungs were attempting to empty themselves released her from her. Then she brought her hands to her forehead, pressing her palms against them.

Her mind shuttled through her dreams like a slideshow. There was the one where CPS ripped a screaming and crying Brady away from her before she was forced to the ground, handcuffed, and put into a cop car. Then there was the one of the Man in Yellow holding a hand around her neck, closing his fist as tightly as he could. Then that one would switch to a reality she had become used to, where it was Lucas standing in front of her, a hand pressed to her throat, the other sucking the air from her lungs with the deft movement of his fingers. Then there was a loud cracking sound that filled the air before her vision darkened.

It was then she would wake up, with the horrific cracking sound shocking through her dreams, causing her to bring her hand up to her throat, expecting to find a disembodied hand there, to see Leah grinning at her from the doorway, or Breathtaker hovering in her window. But she was alone each and every time, reminding her it was her own subconscious plaguing her. Not anything else. With another sigh, she rubbed at her eyes, glancing at the clock. Figures, it was only thirty minutes before she had to get up. What sort of a subconscious woke her up _before_ she had to get up? It had to be against the law not to wake up, turn over, and see there was another three or four hours until the alarm went off.

For a minute she thought about going into Brady's room to be sure he was still there, and then shook her head. No. That was silly and counterproductive. Not only would her own instincts let her know when something was wrong, but it would just make her realize she was starting to allow her fears to get to her more than she originally thought. There was only so long one could be part of the Assassination Bureau before paranoia started to set in. It was why Incognito never let anyone see what he truly looked like, why Leah was consistently using people, why Lucas was always so aloof and never stayed in a place longer than necessary.

She must have picked up the same habits….

 _Cadence finished the last bite of her gelato and pushed the bowl away from her, the sound of it scratching against the hardwood table ripping through the dining room. She looked over at her father, who sat calmly to her left, resting his hands on his stomach, head tilted back and eyes closed as he always did once he was finished eating dessert. It was a way for him to relish in what he had just eaten, normally it was something he had done on the couch in front of a late night show. But since she had arrived at the home in Metropolis, he had nearly stuck to her side like glue. As a matter of fact, he and her mother had gone out of their way to make her feel comfortable in her old home. To the point that she was starting to get a little bit annoyed._

 _Maya placed her mug of tea back onto the table with a dainty 'clink' sound, and folded her hands. She looked at Cadence before her eyes shifted to the side. She started to get up. "I'm just going to go—"_

 _"Stop checking on him, Mom," Cadence said impatiently. It had been the fifth time since Brady had gone to sleep that she had watched her mother try to make some sort of an excuse to pop upstairs and check on her grandson. "He's eight, not three. He's fine."_

 _"I'm sorry," Maya said with a light smile. "It's just…it's really good to see him. And you. I have to admit we were really surprised when you called and said that you wanted to come back here to see us." Her smile widened thought it was, smartly, guarded. "We've been trying to get you to come home for holidays for a long time."_

 _"I've been busy," Cadence said flippantly. "I mean, it's kind of hard to work around, not only my school schedule, but Brady's and work and everything else." She crossed her legs at the knee and waited for her or Kent to say the inevitable, the she could have sent Brady to Metropolis for the holidays. She wasn't going to do that either, not when there was the chance they'd try to convince her, again, that she should have left him there while she went to school._

 _She didn't want to open that can of worms again. Not when there was a bigger issue to talk about. All day since they had arrived, Cadence faked a smile as she interact with her parents and Brady, who seemed not to care too much about the tension surrounding his mother and grandparents compared to the constant attention he as getting. Cadence couldn't help but notice her father seemed more alive when watching Brady a video game he brought with him._

 _"How is work going?" Maya asked._

 _"Fine." Cadence crossed her legs the other way and rested her arm on the table, starting to drum her fingers. Then she pulled it back and picked at her nails, then started to rub her thumb over her fingers. She paused when realizing she did that. What was it that she did that was from her Mom and Dad? That she thought she had inherited from them? For a long time she thought her eye color came from her father but now that she looked at him, their eyes weren't that close._

 _Not in color, shape or size. She didn't have his nose either, now that she thought about it. Or her mother's smile. It was all a lie._

 _"I'm working on getting back into residency," she added._

 _Kent finally lowered his chin and looked at her in confusion as his wife's face fell. "Getting back into it?" He repeated. "I thought you were finishing up another year."_

 _"I would have been, but I had to stop for a while," Cadence explained._

 _"Why?"_

 _She made a face and held up her hand, a fireball appearing in front of it. "Maybe because it's a bit harder to hide the fact that I can do things that normal people shouldn't." She closed her palm and sat up straight, looking back and forth from her parents. "Actually, while working a few times I've ran into Harrison Wells." She watched as her parents both shifted in their seats._

 _"Really?" Kent asked. "How's he doing? I haven't spoken to him in some time now." He shook his head. "Especially not since the accident. It was such a shame to hear something he enjoyed so much has caused him everything."_

 _"Not everything," Cadence said. She pushed her hair behind her ear and took a deep breath. "He didn't lose his family."_

 _There was a moment of silence. "Sweetie." Maya said at least, reaching out as if to take Cadence's hand then quickly brought it back, realizing that she didn't have a hand to hold onto. "You know Tess passed away a long time ago." She gave a tense laugh that was incredibly inappropriate for the occasion. "We went to the funeral, remember?"_

 _"Tess isn't his only family, Mom!" Cadence snapped._

 _"Of course he has his own parents," Maya said anxiously. "They were at the funeral as well."_

 _"I'm talking about me, Mom!" The stunned silence captured the room one more. Maya stared at her for a long moment, completely silent though she managed to blink rapidly. Kent, on the other hand, let out what sounded like a growl though he was steeling himself for what he was about to say next. She beat him to speaking first."I know that I'm adopted. I know that Harrison Wells and Tess Morgan are my real Mom and Dad. I know it was an open adoption. And I know that you lied about it for years. But why should I be surprised? All you do is try to make sure that your lives are perfect on the outside and inside, going as far as to give me an ultimatum to stay in Metropolis. And then you act like nothing has happened when I come back to talk about things that I've figured out while I've been in Central City."_

 _"Honey, it's not as easy as you think it is," Kent said. He reached out and placed his hand on Cadence's shoulder and she roughly turned away from him. "We made the decision that we thought was best for us at the right time—"_

 _"—Are you talking about my open adoption or the fact that you wanted to kick me out?"_

 _"How long are you going to hold that over our heads? We asked for you to stay—"_

 _"—you asked for Brady to stay, not for me. And I don't know about you, Dad, but if Grandma and Grandpa told you to leave and keep me with them because they didn't believe in your choice of adoption, I'd hope that you would stick to your guns and have kept me. You would've done the same thing I did. The only difference here is that I'm not afraid to tell you that what you did was wrong and that it has hurt and affected me for a long time in many ways that you can't even imagine."_

 _She pressed her finger tips together and looked back and forth from her parents one more time. "That being said, I forgive you all for everything you've done. It's not fair to anyone to continue to hang it over our heads. I forgive you. But I don't think I'll forget what you've done."_

And that had only been the first day of the trip. She hadn't expected to let everything out so quickly, but she couldn't help it. It made her angry to see that they were acting like she had been visiting for the sake of visiting when they arrived; sweeping her through the door with a hug and bribing Brady with a new video game as soon as they took their shoes off. She even stopped to ask if someone was dying because of the way they were acting, which they quickly denied.

Then they asked about her life in Central City, talked about what happened with Queen Industries—then known as Queen Consolidated and now known as Palmer Technologies—what was going on in Smallville, and how things with Kent's own company was running. She couldn't stand to sit there and watch as the two put on a show around her.

Dropping back into her pillow, Cadence ran her hands over her face. Well, there was no way she was going to get back to sleep now. What was she going to do to fill her time? Climbing out of bed, she went over to her window and opened it wide; stepping out onto the fire escape she sat down on the lowest rung and looked out over the city. It was funny how easily Central City had become her home despite having lived in Metropolis for so long. All because of some secrets that shouldn't have been kept a secret at all.

And she still felt it was all her fault.

 _The only thing I can do now is look forward,_ Cadence thought. _And hope that everything manages to work itself out._

She continued to watch the city as it slowly woke up, the sun rising over the horizon. Then her attention was suddenly ripped away from the view in front of her. She listened hard. Had Brady just called her name?

"Mom?" In a flash she was climbing back through the window before she heard Brady's voice again. This time more urgent. "Mom! Mom!" Cadence raced to Brady's room and flung the door open, leaping for the light switch at the same time. She blinked rapidly and swiveled her eyes towards the bed but found it empty. Her heart immediately leapt into her throat, all of her nerves standing on end. "Mom! Help me!"

Cadence looked towards the floor and her eyes widened in terror when she spotted Brady halfway through the floor; lower body gone and slowly sinking even further. He pressed his palms against the floor and tried to pull himself back up but continued to slip lower. A million thoughts raced through her head and she found herself diving towards the floor to get a better look. His body seemed to be phasing through the floor. Reaching out, Cadence tried to grab onto his arm, then gasped in shock when her hand moved through him.

"Mom."

"I'm trying. I'm trying." Cadence shuffled to Brady's other side and grabbed onto his shirt, her head lowering in relief when the fabric felt tight in her hand, and pulled as hard as she could. Brady came flying up out of the ground and the two fell back to the floor. Cadence quickly turned Brady around and looked him over. "Are you okay? Is anything hurt?"

Brady shook his head, staring at the spot in the floor that he had been standing in moments before.

"We need to get you to STAR Labs," Cadence said. "Now!"

* * *

"There's nothing wrong with him physically," Caitlin said, lowering the flashlight from Brady's face. He blinked and shook his head before leaning forward to rest his hands against the edge of the examining table and kicked his legs back and forth. "And considering he had sunk up to his waist into the floor, that's certainly a good thing."

Cadence nodded, tilting Brady's head back and turned it from side to side. She then held up her finger and moved it back and forth in front of his face, which he dutifully followed in all sorts of directions. Then she took a step back and nodded once more. Throughout her medical training she would have been able to figure out if something was wrong quickly. It sure as hell helped with the medical bills when it came to very minor things she could detect. "You think it's a good thing that an eight year is now, apparently, a metahuman?" She asked.

"Considering the widespread nature of the explosion," Cisco piped up from her left side. "I'd say it's a definitely possibility. Especially considering how far away Barry was from it when he got zapped by that lightning bolt. And it was a massive shockwave that came from the blast that managed to kill others."

"Yeah, like the Mardon brothers," Barry pointed out. He bobbed his head back and forth. "Or one of them, anyway."

"No, Cadence has a point," Harrison said, wheeling forward. He frowned, resting his hands in his lap. "It's imperative to go after metahumans that are known criminals or are using their abilities in heinous ways, but what are we supposed to do with a metas that are as young as Brady is? What if there's a newborn meta, as they aren't able to control their motor skills I can't be sure they're able to control new found abilities."

"And what about the Man in Yellow?" Caitlin pointed out. She motioned over to Cadence and Barry, who looked at each other, remembering how easily they had been defeated by the Man in the Yellow Suit. Not only could he move as fast as Barry could, faster even, but the way he handled them was as if he was swatting at a fly. Not to mention the worst part of it…whomever it was that had attacked them knew both of their faces.

And as was explained to Cadence, but not known to Barry and Harrison, there was a chance that Ronnie Raymond was still alive. More than a chance. He was one hundred percent alive. She had faced him herself, and it was certain he was following Caitlin around from the last time they had been at STAR Labs. After Caitlin had admitted to Cisco and Brady that they had seen Ronnie when they were out shopping—as well as Cisco surprising them with his admission of having seen Bette again—they went down to the STAR Labs basement, following Cisco's tracker to find Ronnie's thermal output and found him again. He had given Caitlin the chance to call out to him; to let him know that she was there and ready to help him, before he fled once more. That was shortly before Cadence had gone to find Barry after hearing about the potential of the Man in Yellow being back from the police investigation made at Mercury Labs and the importance of the Tachyon particles that were stolen by him.

It was confusing to know who knew what, but as important as everything was at least they were being revealed sooner rather than later.

Barry ran his hands through his hair before crossing his arms. "What about him?" He asked in a low, defeated voice. "He acted like he knew me? Like we've done this before. I would get close and he'd pull away. This was just some sick game to him."

"You'll catch him," Harrison insisted, turning his attention back to Barry. He took off his glasses and wiped them with the bottom of his sweater and made a show of examining the lenses. Then he replaced the glasses onto his face and regarded Barry with a firm nod. "We'll help."

Barry turned on his heel and let out a loud cry. He kicked at the leg of a table, causing everyone else to jump. "You don't get it! His speed…it's beyond me. I'm not the fastest man alive. He is. So how do I catch someone that's faster than me?"

"The great thing about force fields, Barry, is that they're impervious to speed." Harrison turned back to Caitlin and Cisco, who glanced at each other before nodding back over to him. "Those two will create a force field that will keep the Man in Yellow stuck within it, so that when we trap him, we can demand to know why it is that he chose to kill your mother and destroy your life." He shifted his weight to the other side of the wheelchair. "Now, we'll finish fabricating the trap while Joe goes to get the Tachyon particles."

Cadence shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. This was all so frustrating and scarier than she had ever thought it would be. Feeling a tug on the sleeve of her shirt, she turned her attention Brady, who kept his head lowered. "What's up, bud?" she asked him. He mumbled a response and she tucked her finger under his chin, lifting his head up. "I can't hear you if you're going to mumble."

Brady continued to stay quiet, chewing his lower lip.

Harrison moved up to Cadence's side and gently placed his hand on her arm. She looked at him and he nodded his head towards his grandson and she took a step back, moving to stand next to Caitlin, who put her arm around her shoulders to which Cadence took the comfort, resting her head on Caitlin's shoulder. Harrison leaned back in his seat.

"You know one thing that's interesting about men?" Brady lifted his eyes but didn't say anything. "That none of us like to upset our mothers." His comment caused everyone in the room to smile, even Cisco nodding emphatically. "We will go out of our way to make sure that we don't upset or burden them in any way. Trust me; I make it a habit not to let my mother know the struggles I face at times when she calls. I can understand if you don't want that either. But I'll let you in on another secret; telling the truth is the best thing you can do. Especially in the sciences, we're always looking for the truth; we always want to see how our experiments and theories turn out. "So I have a theory." Harrison pressed his lips together. "You've had these abilities for a while haven't you?"

Brady nodded. "I didn't know what they were," he murmured. "I thought I was just…imagining things."

"Is that why you've been really angry lately?" Caitlin asked gently. "Because you were scared?"

Brady shrugged. "I guess," he whispered. "I was mad at my Mom because of Ryder…and I've been having nightmares lately." He swallowed hard. "Where I would be floating away or sinking into the ground and I couldn't get out. When I'd wake up, sometimes my legs would be through the bed." Beside her, Barry started as if suddenly realizing something. But he stayed silent, listening to the young boy's explanation. "But I thought it was just a dream. It didn't get bad until today when I got up to get some water and I started to fall into the floor."

"What were you doing the night of the Particle Accelerator explosion?" Cisco suddenly piped up, pointing a finger in the air. "So far, the people we've managed to come across have all had abilities that came from the Particle Accelerator explosion."

"Except me," Cade pointed out.

"Not necessarily," Harrison reminded her. "Your abilities have been affected by the Particle Accelerator explosion in ways we haven't quite figured it out yet. But we have seen some of those instances when you were fighting against Barry when under Bivolo's whammy."

Right. Like she had forgotten about that. Keeling over one moment and waking up the next being buffeted by cold water and wind. That was a highlight of her life, almost as much as having been completely naked within STAR Labs when trying to enhance her powers further.

"He was asleep," Cadence said after a moment. "He woke up because of the sound of the explosion. He wasn't doing anything in particular that was like anyone else's stories."

Cisco bobbed his head back and forth for a second. "Not unless his abilities have to do with dreaming," he said slowly. "You know, manifesting images that he's seen while he was in his REM state. That could be interesting, having a meta that can fight by being asleep." He started to rub his chin. "I wonder how that would work."

"I'd think that you would be working more on figuring out what his meta human name is going to be," Caitlin teased Cisco.

"Just what I need, another reason for CPS to come after me." Cadence closed her eyes as soon as the words came out of her mouth. She hadn't had meant to say anything but this was all starting to overwhelm her. Her son was a metahuman, she knew it was a possibility but hoped it wasn't true. He didn't need to be in even more danger, but if he had his own powers, maybe he could defend himself sometimes… _No. He shouldn't have to._ Cadence brought her hands up and covered her face. Anxiety struck her heart but at the same time…she didn't have to keep it all a secret anymore; these were her friends, she didn't need to keep secrets from her friends. "When we were in Starling City, Harrison told me that Detective West came to him to ask him questions of the night that Breathtaker was taking over the city.

"The driver of the bus that Brady had taken called the CCPD and because of what happened with his kidnapping before, which was also a case the CCPD had been a part of, they sent Child Protective Services over to ask us some questions. I guess things are going okay, but I don't know what'll happen with that because Joe knows everything that's going on here and now that Brady, apparently, has powers…"

"He wouldn't do anything to let him be taken away from you, Cade, I promise." Barry shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I _swear_ to you, he won't. But right now, we have to focus on the Man in Yellow and what he wants with the Tachyon device. And why he came back. When it comes down to it, if we have to fight, I want you right by my side helping me out just as Caitlin, Cisco, and Dr. Wells are going to help out in here." He licked his lips. "I'm going to need all of your guys' help with this."

"Of course, Barry," Caitlin said. Her tone showed he didn't even have to think about asking for their help.

"We're right behind you, man," Cisco agreed.

"Good." Barry thought for a moment. "We need to get the Tachyon device. I'm sure Joe could help me get it. We'll start there and I'll let you guys know what's going on as soon as we figure it out. Okay?"

As the others turned to start their duties, Cadence reached out and placed her hand on the arm of Harrison's chair. He looked up at her as she walked in front of him and knelt down. Due to her short stature she didn't have to crouch so far so that she reached his eye level. "Thanks for talking to Brady like that, I'm sure things aren't easy for him right now. I sort of remember what it was like trying to figure out my abilities from the beginning but I didn't have anyone to teach me."

Harrison pressed his fingertips together. "Yes, well, I assume that I am reason to blame for that."

"I'm not blaming you. I've stopped blaming people for my own faults and mistakes, for things I can't change. Thank you for talking to CPS about the way I take care of Brady, too." When she had been asked questions by the agents they had mentioned how quickly Harrison Wells had come to her defense on the matter despite the struggle of learning her true parentage. That had surprised her at first, and then she felt a heartwarming glow spread over her body knowing he wasn't saying it as a man that watched her relationship with her son, but as a father protecting a daughter. "Really, I'm glad you were able to talk to him about it. Trust me, I know the kid; he can clam up just as easily as he can talk your ear off. But something like this…"

"Well, as his grandfather I'm glad I found something to bond with him about. I'm honestly very disappointed with the way I handled you and yours. Just as long as I can be here now and help in any way that I can." Harrison tilted his head. "And at the moment, it seems like it's stretching to outside our own family as Mr. Allen is doing his best to avenge his mother."

"Can you blame him?" Cadence smiled.

"No, I certainly can't."

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for the wait on an update. Between finishing up the semester, having _Flash Fire_ be plagiarized for the second time, as well as holidays coming up, it sort of fell by the way side. I hope the chapter made up for it. Things come to a head with the Man in Yellow in the next chapter. There were a few people that guessed Brady had powers and the only reason it took so long for me to reveal that was because I couldn't figure out which ones I wanted him to have.

I know Cisco and Cadence haven't had their friendship in the spotlight as of yet, but that'll come more into play with Bray's birthday as well as when Hartley comes around. We're almost at Captain Cold and Heatwave though! I hope you're all excited.

Thanks for the new favorites and alerts. They make me smile as much as reviews do. Let me know what you think of the chapter. I'll update again soon.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	16. Letting Go

**.:16:.**

* * *

Iris practically leapt to her feet when Barry came through the door of the West house, more than ready for some dinner. His mind raced a mile a minute of everything that had been going on; the Reverse Flash was back and he was only so far away from being able to confront his mother's murderer, there was a Black Flash on his tail, Brady had metahuman powers that were just starting to show...

All he wanted was to be able to sit down and have a good meal. He could have done the same for himself with Big Belly Burger or quickly rip through one of his mother's recipes for dinner, but he wasn't excited to be in his apartment at the moment. Not alone. Not when so much time to himself made him wallow in his own self pity and frustrations.

"Barry!" Iris said as soon as he stepped through the door.

He turned towards her and smiled. A familiar face that wasn't stuck in the issues going on with STAR Labs. Thank God. "Hey Iris," he greeted her warmly. She rounded the couch and grabbed onto him, hugging him tightly to which he returned with as much enthusiasm. He barely let go by the time Iris grabbed onto his arm and dragged him over to the couch. "What's going on? You seem really anxious about something." His eyes widened when he was practically forced onto the couch.

Iris started to smile and then started to laugh. Barry look at her funny, unsure of what to do or say until he had the full story. But he couldn't help but smile as he waited for her. She seemed so happy. He hadn't seen her smile like that in a long time. "Eddie asked me to move in with him," she finally managed to say. Barry tilted his head to the side, eyes widening as he took in what he had just been told. "I said yes. I mean, I practically live with him already so…" she twisted her fingers together as she waited for Barry's response.

He let out a startled laugh. "You guys are moving pretty fast aren't you?" He asked. His smile immediately faded when he saw how offended Iris looked over his statement. _Way to go, Barry. You just hurt your friend when she's trying to tell you something important. At least try to act cool. _He turned away for a moment, trying to compose himself. Still…it was kind of odd that the jealousy he expected to rocket through his body only ignited a small flame. It wasn't as crippling as he thought it would be.

Iris reached up a hand and pulled her hair back out of her face. "Well, it's been a year," she said honestly. A year filled with ups and down she had never expected. She tilted her head to the side and watched Barry for a long moment, her nose wrinkling as she continued with, "Eddie thought you might feel weird about it…but…" She trailed off, gently shaking her head.

The idea had been so preposterous she couldn't believe she was bringing it up with Barry. Barry didn't seem to understand what it was, tilting his head to the side, eyes shifting back and forth. Finally he asked, while slightly stammering, "Why would he say that?"

Iris couldn't help herself. She laughed before covering her hands with her mouth. Barry stared at her, eyebrows falling. Iris waved her hands. She wasn't laughing at him, he needed to know that. It was just so preposterous. "He thinks you like me," she finally managed to say. "Romantically." She started to laugh again. "Honestly, it sounds weird suggesting it…"

A long silence stretched between the two of them. Barry slowly turned away from her, wondering how to deal with the situation. He did like her…but was that it? Did he just like her? He had loved her at one point, when he was a kid, when he was growing up, before he was struck by lightning…what was he supposed to do with that now? Iris continued to watch him.

"Barry?" She reached out and gently placed her hand on his arm.

The movement, the warmth of her skin seeping through his sleeve snapped him back to attention. "He's wrong," Barry said. He turned back to Iris and took a deep breath. "If I've seemed weird before its just this year has gone by really fast and I guess I didn't realize how far in your relationship you guys were."

"That's what I told him." Iris clasped her hands together and gently rocked back and forth, swaying almost to a rhythmic beat. "Good. Good. Because you're my best friend, Barry. And that would be weird." She smiled at him and Barry smiled back at her.

"Yeah, it'd be really…weird," he agreed. "But that's great," he added quickly. "That you and Eddie are going to be moving in together. That's a really big step. I mean, now you're going to be around each other 24/7." He smiled teasingly at her and Iris rolled her eyes, reaching out and shoving him on the arm.

"Shut up, Barry." Shaking her head, she stood up and tilted his head back towards the dining room, where Joe was setting up the table. If he had been listening in on the conversation, he didn't show it. Instead, he pulled back his seat at the head of the table and draped a napkin in his lap. Iris and Barry quickly joined him and the three talked about everything but the two topics of conversation they were trying to avoid.

The Man in Yellow and Iris's moving. The Man In Yellow for very obvious reasons; if it were to come up Barry was sure he would find himself racing out of the house and chasing down every leady he could get to find his mother's murderer and take care of him himself. No matter how badly it had gone last time. But Iris's moving was an even harder topic to broach; not only was Joe against the two of them dating at first—simply because they had kept it from him—but things had becoming awkward at times where Eddie would step his boundaries with Iris when Joe as nearby. But she was also Joe's only daughter and because she was leaving the house to move in with someone else…it had to be hard for him to wrap his head around.

But dinner went well, taking Barry's mind off of everything that was causing him grief, if even for a half hour. It all came to a head, once more, when they had finished dinner and Joe was getting ready to set up for dessert. All throughout dinner, from Iris's vantage point, she had a clear view of the front window, where she had seen the Man in Yellow during Christmas. Every now and then she turned her attention back to the window before being brought back to whatever it was Joe and Barry were saying to her.

"Is there something interesting out there?" Joe asked with a light laugh as he placed a glass pan of peach cobbler into the middle of the dining table. "You look like you're waiting for the ice cream truck."

"Ha ha." Iris rolled her eyes as Barry and Joe laughed. She knew what he was referring to and it still made her embarrassed every now and then. "No, it's just…" she took a deep breath knowing she should have said this before and that waiting so long was probably going to make the other two upset. "I think…I saw the Man in Yellow," she said slowly. Barry immediately whipped his head towards her, eyes widening. "During Christmas. I thought I saw him outside the window. But I wasn't sure until the reports coming from Mercury Labs and my blog…." She trailed off as Barry turned back to Joe, who froze when pulling off oven mitts. "I would've said something sooner, but I didn't know if I really saw anything. I'm sorry, Barry."

"It's nothing you need to apologize about," Barry said quickly. "If you weren't sure, you weren't sure." But in his mind he had another worrying thought. _If The Man in Yellow came here, he knows who I live with and who's important to me. He's been following me much longer than I originally thought…since before he showed up at my lab._ He looked at Joe and he must've had the same thought, for he quickly pulled off his gloves and reached for his jacket.

"I'm sorry, baby, but we have to get going," He said to her. "This might be something we can use down at the CCPD."

"I understand," Iris agreed. She stood up, clasping her hands together, watching as her family readied themselves to leave the house. "Be careful, okay?" Joe leaned over and gave her a kiss on the side of the head and a hug before the two left the house.

"So where are we headed?" Barry asked as he and Joe hurried down the front steps towards the Detective's cruiser.

"Mercury Labs," Joe replied. "If we're going to trap this Man in Yellow, then we're going to need some bait." Barry nodded, taking in a deep breath. He was starting to shake. This was it; they were going to figure out how to capture the man that had made his life a living hell. When they arrived at Mercury Labs they immediately found Dr. McGee and slapped a piece of paper in her hands. Barry watched as Dr. McGee looked over it.

She snorted as she took in the search warrant that was placed in her hands. The words 'search warrant' popped out amongst everything else on the page and she couldn't help but roll her eyes at the preposterous item she had been handed by the CCPD. Lifting her gaze, she looked back and forth between Joe and Barry. "If Judge Hankerson was going to sign this, he would've done so already." She slapped the paper back into Joe's hand and started to turn on her heel. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

Barry resisted the urge to use his speed to grab onto her arm, to whirl her around and slam her against the wall, forcing her to take the papers and let them take the Tachyon prototype. Everything rested on being able to take the device, capture the Man in Yellow, and convict him for killing his mother and sending his father to jail. But he held still. He couldn't allow his anger to get in the way of everything he had worked for.

Thankfully Joe was much more composed. He took the paper in his hand and shook them at her. "Look, I'm sure you don't want this investigation to get even more public than it already is, do you doctor?" He watched as she slowly turned back around and glared at the two. Barry would have been intimidated if it wasn't for the anger that continued to roll through his body.

Finally, Dr. McGee rolled back her shoulders and her lips tightened. "This has Harrison Wells written all over it in big black letters," she spat, her disdain for him evident in her entire being. "I'm not giving you my prototype."

Barry let out a low sigh, exchanging a glance with Joe. He had kept information he had on Dr. McGee to himself, just as minor observations. He didn't think he would have been able to use it to blackmail her in any way. Still, this was more important than anything else he had ever done and if he had to stoop so low, then so be it. "It was quite the tour of your facility, Dr." He had to keep from jumping when Dr. McGee shot her narrow gaze over to him. "You were fine to let us dumb cops walk around. But I majored in physics and I saw a whole lot of stuff that science showcase magazine would love to hear about." His eyebrow rose in challenge as her eyes narrowed even further. "So should I call the editors directly or just leave a few posts on their website?"

There was a long pause.

Dr. McGee stared at Barry and he stared back. Finally, she sucked in a deep breath and let it out just as slowly. "You'll have the tachyon device within the hour." She looked Barry up and down with disdain. I see why Harrison holds you in such esteem, Mr. Allen. You two are so much alike."

Barry kept from rolling his eyes as Dr. McGee walked off. He wasn't going to leave before he got that device. He watched as Joe moved from his side to his front, chuckling under his breath. He even went as far as to look after Dr. McGee once more before reaching out and pointing at Barry with the papers that were still nestled in his grasp. "Nicely done."

Barry smiled for a second, and then it faded once more. It would have been more entertaining, more fun if he had been able to enjoy himself. He didn't think he was going to be able to smile for a while. "Joe, do you have a second?"

Barry whipped around to find Eddie walking their way. He let out a low sigh as he watched Eddie. The guy that was going to move in with his best friend, the girl he had known for forever. The girl he…loved. He couldn't stand to be around him at the moment, even more so than he had when he first figured out that he and Iris were dating. If only he hadn't been in that coma…

"Not now, Eddie," Jo said quickly. He put his hand on Barry's shoulder and started to walk the two away. "There's something we really have to deal with right now."

Eddie ignored his statement and came to a stop in front of Joe. He swept back his jacket and placed his hands on his hips. "I read the witness statement, the Flash was there. I know you have something in the works. I have a task force approved to capture him and I want in." Barry immediately froze. They had been talking about a task force within the CCPD for a while. Ever since Bivolo had come around. He had no idea Captain Singh had allowed the task force to go ahead. This was certainly not good for him. "I'm not asking permission, Joe," Eddie added when he saw Joe open his mouth to protest. "If my task force isn't part of this I'll go to Captain Singh."

Joe sucked in a deep breath and looked over at Barry who tried to keep his face calm. He clenched down on his back teeth and continued to stare straight ahead at Eddie, hoping not to let anything show in his face. Now he knew how Oliver felt with all of Starling City and the SCPD constantly putting a bounty over his head.

He felt like a trapped rat.

"Fine," Joe finally said.

* * *

Caitlin tilted her head, allowing her hair to fall out of her face as she looked over Cisco's shoulder at his computer screen. Facts and figures swirled by as Cisco's fingers moved over the keyboard at breakneck speed. Finally, he stood up and nodded to everyone in the room. "The Tachyon device is in place," he announced, glancing at the still frame that had been taken of the Tachyon device in the middle of their trap. "As soon as we start putting out the signals that we have it, then we'll have the Man in Yellow in here faster than any of us can blink."

Barry nodded, his hand gently resting over his mouth as he listened to the explanations going on around him. He had been moderately silent since he and Joe had returned with the device. Harrison's eyes lit up as soon as they came back with the device and he had quickly told Cisco to set up the trap they were going to use. Now that it was completed it was his and Caitlin's job to be sure the trap stayed working.

"So how do we advertise that we have it?" Cadence asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are we supposed to go around with a neon sign that says that we took it?" She reached up and rubbed the back of her neck. "Though something tells me that this guy probably already knows."

"If he's been watching Barry, he has," Brady piped up. He spun the soccer ball that he had brought with him to STAR Labs, in his hands while trying to make work of the conversation going on around him.

"I wouldn't put it past him," Harrison agreed with a nod. "But we can't assume. As for the trap we'll be setting…we'll take care of that."

Cisco bit his lower lip as he exchanged a glance with Caitlin. Dr. Wells had already given them the explanation that Barry was not going to help them capture and interrogate the Main Yellow. He would be too emotionally invested into the fight and wouldn't make the best decisions regarding what to do with him if they managed to catch him.

"What?" Barry asked when he noticed all eyes turning his way. As bright as he was, Barry very quickly realized what it was that no one was saying. He shook his head defiantly. "No. No. I'm not staying back. I'm not going to be the only one that's not working to catch this guy. I _have_ to be here. I'm the best chance at doing it."

"Thanks," Cadence said, frowning in offense. Cisco didn't blame her. It wasn't too long before that Barry was saying he needed her by his side to help take down the Man in Yellow. Now he was giving everyone a massive slap in the face by saying he could basically do it all himself.

"Look, dude," Cisco said slowly, lest he became the target of Barry's wrath. "We're not saying that we don't think you can help. We're just worried about what you could do if you ever get him. We can't run the risk that you lose control over this guy."

"You're strong now, Barry," Caitlin agreed. "Much stronger than you've ever been before because of your abilities. You were a kid when he killed your mother." She gazed at him sympathetically. "You were powerless back then. Now that you have all of this power what's going to stop you from exhibiting it on him?"

"Do you get it?" He murdered my mother and sent my father to jail. This is _my_ fight!"

"Not today."

Barry's shoulders slumped and he slapped his arms to his sides as he looked around the room, finding no helpful face turned his way. He then looked to Harrison for help and the man merely looked back at him, his blue eyes boring into Barry's blue-green ones. Finally, Barry understood he wasn't getting any help from his friends when he really needed it. Angrily, he grabbed his coat and stormed out of the Cortex.

"Barry doesn't seem happy," Brady remarked.

"I wouldn't be either," Cisco said. "If someone that I thought had killed my mother suddenly showed up again, no one would be able to stop me." He paused, thinking about Bette and how she had showed up in the Cortex. Not only did it prove they really needed to work on their security within STAR Labs, but it had been very confusing. She came back to see him, to talk to him, and yet he didn't know if he believed her.

Not to mention that throughout their conversation he expected to be attacked by Breathtaker, Mindboggler, Incognito, Stratos, and everyone from the Suicide Squad. He never understood true fear until he felt the anxiety of not knowing whether or not he would turn around to find a fist flying into his face. If it were someone that was able to move as quickly as Barry…he wouldn't be able to handle it. It was tarrying to know that someone who was clearly trying to get rid of The Flash was running around.

All of a sudden there was a rustling sound and Cisco turned to find Caitlin quickly walking out of the Cortex, holding a hand up over her face. Harrison leaned over to watch her, and then he leaned back and looked up at Cisco. Cisco nodded and pushed away from the computer desk and hurried after her. He could hear Cadence and Brady coming along behind him as they followed Caitlin's high-heeled steps. Finally, they caught up to her down in the cortex, sitting just outside of it, her face in her hands.

"Caitlin," Brady asked as he walked over to her. "Are you okay?" He leaned in to peer at her face then frowned as he leaned back, reporting to Cisco and his mother, "she's not okay."

"Thanks, bud," Cadence said with a light laugh, ruffling his hair.

Cisco had an idea he knew what was going on with her. There wasn't much mention of anyone coming in from someone's past was bound to flood her with memories. "Caitlin, don't worry. Now that we know he's out there we'll find him."

"Why?" Caitlin shook her head, turning her attention to her friends as they stood around her. She dabbed at her eyes though tears continued to fall. "So he'll be in there with the other metas?"

"I don't know if you remember, but you guys didn't put me down in the Pipeline when you had the chance," Cadence pointed out. "Why would you do the same to Ronnie when you know that he's not like…the way we saw him?"

Cisco understood what Cadence meant. They knew Ronnie, the _real_ Ronnie. Not the guy that was struggling with whatever it was he could do and was keeping everyone away from him. If Ronnie had attacked Caitlin and Cadence before, and he had kept himself from attacking her _again_ when they found him down in the basement…there was Ronnie still in there somewhere.

"He's probably just struggling with his powers," Cadence continued.

Caitlin smiled a little, as if she hadn't heard them. "I used to play this game in my head, what would I give up for another minute with him. My house, my career, or the rest of my life? Today, I finally got that minute and I wish I hadn't. Seeing him like that, what's he's become…dear God. I wish he had died that day."

She lowered her head and started to cry. Cisco leaned over and wiped her tears from her cheeks before sitting down next to her and putting his arm around her. Caitlin leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder as the tears started to fall in sobs. Cisco brought up his hand and gently patted her hair. Cadence sat down on Caitlin's other side and gently rubbed her arm as Brady kneeled down at her front, wiping away her tears every now and then.

The four continued to sit there, comforting each other. Not only for Ronnie, but because of everything that had been going on the past couple of days. For Brady's new powers, for the Man in Yellow, for Ronnie not being the same they had remembered, for Barry having to deal with the man that had murdered his mother, for all of this coming around at a time when they should have been excited about the holidays. Caitlin's crying finally subsided to sniffling and she used the heels of her palms to wipe at her eyes.

"Thanks guys," she said quietly, braving a smile. "I guess I didn't know how much this was affecting me."

"We can't blame you for it, Cait," Cadence said. She rubbed Caitlin's shoulder and smiled softly. "Anyone that had to go through what you did would probably be as upset. He was your fiancé." She reached out and used the flat of her palm to push Caitlin's chin up. "But what you have to remember is to keep your chin up because this gorgeous face deserves to shine."

"Thanks, Cade," Caitlin said and gave her a hug. She then turned to Cisco and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "And thank _you_ , Cisco. I know Ronnie meant a lot to you, too." He smiled and nodded silently. Ronnie had been his best friend…but unbeknownst to everyone else he had cried nearly as hard and as much as Caitlin had when they first received the news of Ronnie's passing and since then. His family made fun of him for nearly everything he did, choosing instead to focus on his brother's achievements and successes. So Cisco pulled in on himself and the work he did at STAR Labs, choosing to grieve in his own time and by himself whenever he got the chance.

"We'll get through this together, Cait," Cisco said. He grasped her hand. "We're a team and we have to help each other."

"Right now we have to help Barry," Brady pointed out from where he was standing quietly at the side. Cisco nodded in agreement and motioned for the others to follow him. Once they arrived back in the Cortex they found Eddie and the CCPD standing around his computer with guns drawn. "What's going on here?" He asked slowly.

"The new CCPD Task Force is going to help us out," Joe said after a moment of silence.

"CCPD Task Force?" Cadence echoed. She tilted her head to the side and watched as Joe and Eddie exchanged grieved expressions. "What for?" She asked slowly.

"For The Flash," Eddie explained. "There are too many instances around here that The Flash has been a part of and the CCPD wants to capture him." He lifted his chin towards Cisco's monitor. "If The Flash has to do with the Man in Yellow that everyone is talking about, then we're going to be there."

"No!" Brady protested loudly. "You can't do that! The Flash has been _helping_ this city, not hurting it."

"Ever since The Flash came to this city there has been nothing but trouble and people getting hurt," Eddie pointed out. "We're trying to remedy that." He turned his attention back towards Cisco's computer, where he noticed a video feed placed on what looked like a cage where the Tachyon device sat on a pedestal in the center. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"If anyone is looking for Tachyon particles, they'll be drawn in to us," Cisco explained. "Especially after we send out pulsing waves of its power. The Main Yellow won't be able to resist and will know we've got them."

With that, there was a sudden shock of red lightning that moved across screen and the Man in Yellow appeared on screen, within the cage that had been set up. As soon as the Man in Yellow went into the cage a force field was put up, trapping him inside. The Man in Yellow immediately started to bounce off of the walls, trying to get out.

"We got him," Cisco breathed, unable to believe it. _We really got him._

"Let's see what we caught," Harrison said. He pulled back his wheelchair and turned it around, heading towards the elevator with Joe, Eddie, and the CCPD following him, leaving Caitlin, Cisco, Cadence, and Brady in the cortex to watch everything unfold.

The group hurried down to the holding room and as the elevator doors opened police streamed in, their guns pointed towards the containment field. The Man in Yellow shot back and forth for a few more seconds before coming to a halt, watching them.

"Cisco, lights please?" Harrison called as he wheeled towards the cage. Cisco did as he was told, illuminating the area and Harrison smiled, placing his hands in his lap. "Detective Thawne, would you like to read him his rights?" He called in a mocking tone.

Instead of replying Eddie stared. He stared at the Man in Yellow as it sat inside the cage. Everyone had been right. Everything that he had been told about the Man in Yellow was true. He had been briefed on Barry's case since he first started with the CCPD, knowing that his partner was now the foster father of the boy as well as the father of the girl he had had his eye on. Much like everyone else he put it off as a little kid that had been spooked by his mother's murder that he created a story to keep his father from going to jail. But now he owed Barry and apology.

As Eddie stared, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and found Joe inching his way forward. Licking his lips, Eddie held out his hand as if trying to keep his partner from taking another step forward. But Joe was too far away to stop him. "Joe!"

Joe continued to take a few steps towards the containment field. "You son of a bitch," he murmured under his breath. "Fourteen year ago you murdered Nora Allen! You turned an innocent boy's life into a tail spin! Why the hell did you come back here?! _WHY!?_ "

Voice booming around the room, Joe's chest rose and fell as he tried to fight his emotions. Rather than addressing him, the Man in Yellow turned towards Harrison, keeping his glowing red eyes focused on him. Finally, the Man in Yellow lifted his hand as if to wave towards him. "Dr. Wells, we meet at last."

"What do you want with the tachyon particles?" Harrison's blue eyes narrowed behind the lenses of his glasses but he didn't allow the Man in Yellow to faze him.

"My goals are beyond your understanding."

"I don't know...I'm a pretty smart guy." Harrison tilted his head to the side and studied the Man in Yellow for a long moment before bringing his hands up and running them through his hair. Then he twisted in his seat to look at the police officers that stood behind him. "But you seem to be forgetting that you're the one that's at a disadvantage here. So it'd be a good idea if you cooperated." He watched as the Man in Yellow started to send himself against the walls of the cage once more. "It is very interesting to see that you have the same abilities as the Flash. That was my inclination for the creation of this containment for you."

"Oh, but I'm not like The Flash," The Man in Yellow said in a low, gravelly voice. He clenched his hands into fists. "I'm better than the Flash. I'm _faster_ than the Flash. Some would say…I'm the Reverse Flash." With that, there was a sudden streak of red lightning that shot around the room, taking down the CCPD. Joe, Eddie, and Harrison watched, whipping their heads around, watching as the men that were made to protect and serve the city were knocked down like dominoes. Then he went over to Joe and grabbed him around the neck, throwing him aside onto the ground.

"Joe!" Whipping out his gun, Eddie turned towards the Reverse Flash and found him staring directly in front of him. Rooted in fear, Eddie swallowed heavily as the Reverse Flash stood so still in front of him that his red eyes bored into the Detective. Then his mouth slowly curled into a smile before he knocked Eddie's pistol out of his grasp and shoved him hard in the chest, knocking him over.

The Reverse Flash then turned his sights on Harrison and grabbed him out of his wheelchair, dragging him into the containment field. The Reverse Flash punched Harrison across the face, sending him rolling across the ground. With his fast speed, the Reverse Flash continued to pummel the renowned scientist with blinding speed, blood splattering across the containment field.

Back in the cortex, the four friends reacted in surprise and fear "Harrison!" Cadence cried.

"Dr. Wells!" Caitlin cried at the same time.

"Is there anything we can do to help him?" Brady asked.

"Turn off the containment field," Caitlin snapped before Cisco could answer. She pulled her phone from her pocket and sent off a quick text to Barry.

"If I do that, then the Reverse Flash will get away!" Cisco shot back. But he knew it was the best option for them to keep Harrison from being harmed any further. There was a sudden burst of heat at his side and he looked over at Cadence to find the veins in her arm illuminating with an inner light her features twisted into a snarl. Then her eyes flickered with an inner flame. "What are you—"Before he could finish his sentence Cadence teleported out of sight.

The fire metahuman teleported down to the room just as the containment field was lowered. She shot forward and sent a flaming punch towards the Reverse Flash. He caught it in his hand and pushed her away. She skidded on the ground, keeping her balance with a firm placement of her feet, and launched herself back towards him, sending a wave of fire into his face before following it up with a blast of heat from her eyes that caught him in the chest, knocking him backwards.

The Reverse Flash staggered backwards, removing his hand from his face as it smoldered. He took a step towards her and there was a sudden bolt of yellow lightning that crashed into him and rushed from the room. Cadence shielded her face from the wind that blew back towards her before she hurried to Harrison's side, taking note of the now missing Tachyon device. "Harrison," she said, falling to her father's side. "Harrison, are you okay?" She started to lift him up but he waved her off.

"I'm fine," he said, struggling to form his words around a bruised jaw. "Go help Barry."

* * *

Barry and the Reverse Flash shot up through a panel of glass, arching through the air before landing in the parking lot. Barry grunted as the Reverse Flash grabbed his arm in mid-air and threw him down onto the hood of a nearby car. He could hear the sound of a door being opened and looked over just in time to find Caitlin, Cisco, and Brady running out to the parking lot. Then he was grabbed by the front of his suit and flung to the ground. The Reverse Flash turned as if he was going to go after the three of them and Barry leapt off the car and zoomed forward, striking him in the back. The Reverse Flash turned and started to punch him again, with Barry doing his best to fend him off.

Cadence teleported to the Reverse Flash's other side and started to punch and kick him as well. With two metahuman fighting him the Reverse Flash had to consistently shift his attention back and forth against the two of them. Though he didn't appear to be fighting Cadence as hard. Just like their last encounter he would knock her away with well placed shoves before turning back to Barry and fighting as hard as he could. Finally, Cadence held out her hands and they erupted into flame before the flames twisted and turned, converting itself into a flame sword. She swung it hard and caught the Reverse Flash on the side of the head. He punched Barry hard in the chest, knocking him flat on his back then turned around to make work of Cadence.

The Reverse Flash turned around just in time to get hit directly in the face with a soccer ball. He fixated his glance on Brady, who sprinted over to the ball that rolled away and tapped it with his feet. He rolled it up to his knee and bounced it high in the air, kicking it when it came back down, and struck the Reverse Flash once more. The Reverse Flash was struck one more time as the ball came back; coming up high and Brady did a bicycle kick to knock it back. Finally, the Reverse Flash shot forward and moved to strike Brady.

"Brady!" Cisco cried.

"No!" Caitlin added.

Barry and Cadence flipped around and watched as the Reverse Flash flung his fist forward into Brady's chest. Rather than the young boy being knocked backwards or harmed, his fist went through the center of Brady's body. There was a prolonged silence as Brady slowly opened his eyes and found the Reverse Flash staring at him, as if in disbelief. Cadence and Barry looked at each other and turned back towards the Reverse Flash, launching themselves towards him once more. The Reverse Flash brought his hand back from Brady and turned back around, sweeping his arm and catching the two metahumans across the chest, knocking them to the ground. He then went to Barry and grabbed him around the throat, choking him, pulling off his hood, and delivered a solid punch to his face, knocking Barry flat on his back.

There was another rush of flame that came from behind him, knocking the Reverse Flash backwards. He got to his feet and snarled at the newcomer before turning his attention to Barry. "We'll meet again, Flash," he growled before zooming out of sight.

Caitlin took a few steps forward. "Ronnie!" She called.

He held up a flaming hand and she stopped in her tracks. "Don't look for me again," he growled before taking to the skies in a rush of flame. He arched through the air, smoke trailing behind him before disappearing behind a nearby building.

With both foes gone, Cisco, Caitlin, and Brady hurried over to Cadence and Barry, helping them off the ground. Cadence immediately wrapped her arms around Brady in a tight hug before exchanging a hug with Cisco, Caitlin and Barry as well.

"Are you guys okay?" Cisco asked, examining the two of them.

"Yeah," Barry said. He painfully rubbed his neck. "Yeah, I'm fine. I heal fast, remember?" He managed a small smile though needed to lean heavily on Cisco. "We should go see how Dr. Wells is doing." There was a lot to talk about, especially with Ronnie's return. But Dr. Wells was their main focus at the moment.

As the group turned towards STAR Labs and started to head inside, Cadence commented. "That's not fair though."

"What's that?" Cisco asked.

"Ronnie has fire powers like I do…but he can fly and I can't." She managed a smile, showing that she was joking, trying to lighten the tension, and the five laughed quietly.

* * *

Caitlin frowned as she looked over the chart in her hands, then at Dr. Wells. It didn't appear that the Reverse Flash had done as much damage as she expected. It had to have looked worse than it actually was. Even as he sat on the examining table, propped up with pillows, he appeared as if he was on vacation.

"His attacks seemed very vicious, but you aren't as injured as I thought you would be," She remarked. Lowering the clipboard she turned to face Harrison completely. "Then again, you did lose the ability to stand and to walk long after the accident. That's a miracle in itself."

"I guess we'll never know," Harrison said, spreading his hands. "Some things do tend to remain a mystery no matter how hard we try to figure them out."

Caitlin's gaze moved towards the ceiling for a second, trying not to focus on Harrison's form. Lying on the examining table in a black wife beater and his matching black slacks he had scrapes, cuts, and bruises lining his arms, collarbone, and face she flashed back to watching the Reverse Flash pummel him, Cadence, and Barry with blinding speed and efficiency. She knew he was able to stand and to walk and had some sort of abilities she wasn't completely sure of, and that he would be okay, but still…

"Now, if you want to talk about something that's a bit more of a mystery to _me_ , maybe you'd like to explain that Ronnie Raymond is still alive," he said and gave her a pointed look.

Caitlin chewed her lower lip and let out a sigh. "I asked everyone not to say anything. Cadence and I ran into him when we were Christmas shopping and then Cisco, Brady, Cadence, and I found him in the basement…I didn't mean to not say anything. But when I saw him like that. I needed time to see if I could make him whole again. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Harrison said quickly."Don't you dare apologize; I don't know what I would've done if I were in the same predicament and Tess turned out to be alive." He paused, swallowing hard at the mention of his deceased wife. "I don't know what I would do. But, in this particular case, I do promise you that we'll bring Ronnie back."

Caitlin nodded, touched by the promise he gave. And yet she couldn't help but wonder whether or not she truly did want him back. What if they couldn't fix him? What if he was always going to be the man…the monster they had seen that day? What if he didn't get better? She couldn't…didn't want that guy in her life. Not when it wasn't _her_ Ronnie. She had agonized over it since the first day she saw him. And now here was someone she had grown closer to, telling her that he would do whatever it took to bring her former—or current?—fiancé back into her life.

Ronnie had told her not to look for him again.

She could do that.

Caitlin lifted her gaze and her eyes locked with Harrison's. He kept his eyes steady on her as she broke eye contact, looking at her feet, and then looked at him again. He was still watching her.

 _Oh screw it._ Caitlin stepped forward and grabbed Harrison's face, kissing him hard. He made a muffled sound of surprised, her hands pushing his glasses askew, and he turned his face into her grasp. Her lips moved over his and she moved her hands to his shoulders, pulling him hard towards her. Then she realized that he was trying to recover and she quickly took a step back. He seemed to read her mind as he said, "It's okay, you can't hurt me," through heavy breaths.

Caitlin nodded and kissed him again, allowing herself to open herself up to the passion she was feeling. She felt Harrison's hands on her waist then move to her shoulders, pushing off her medical coat, allowing it to fall to the floor. Then his hands were back on her waist, this time pulling her up onto the examining table where she straddled his waist. They continued to kiss and she placed her hands on his stomach, on the bottom of his shirt and kept her hands there. Harrison, sensing her hesitation, grabbed the bottom of his wife beater and pulled it up over his head, casting it aside without a second glance.

He brought his hand up to Caitlin's cheek and rested it there, gently stroking his thumb across her skin. She gazed at him and smiled bashfully, lowering her head. He lifted her chin and placed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

For the first time in a long time Caitlin allowed herself to forget about Ronnie.

* * *

 **A/N:** So an anonymous user on tumblr asked if I would add in more Snowells to the story so I hope this was good for you. If you're on tumblr follow us on purple-and-red-ribbons. We post about our stories, The Flash, and we'll also take prompts and questions about the stories.

Now that the Reverse Flash debacle is over now I can move onto Rogues. I've been really excited for this plot. Thanks for the patience in how long it's taken me to update.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	17. Freezer Burn

**.:17:.**

* * *

Barry stretched his arms over his head, watching his breath fog in front of his face. It certainly was not the best time to have a soccer game, nor did he ever believe there were actually youth soccer teams that worked year round, but Brady had asked him to show and he wasn't about to let him down. Not especially now that the boy was learning how to defend himself. He needed to be there just in case something went wrong on the field and Brady accidentally revealed his powers or something. It wasn't like Cadence could teleport in front of a bunch of people, the smell of smoke would give her away quicker than anyone potentially seeing it.

Barry shook his head. First he had to deal with the Assassination Bureau and the Suicide Squad, then there was the Black Flash or whatever the thing breathing down his neck nearly every time he ran somewhere. (Thankfully it hadn't showed up anywhere of late other than his dreams). Then there was the Reverse Flash; he had come face to face with the man that caused his life such pain and misery and…he wasn't fast enough to beat him. Oh but all of that was trumped by an eight year old boy that seemed to have recently discovered his ability of phasing.

It had taken multiple tests from Harrison and Cisco—of which nearly he got Caitlin's wrath to be bestowed upon him due to her determining that Cisco's tests were too dangerous for Brady to try. A few tests on the cosmic treadmill that nearly flung the young boy off his feet, slightly burning his fingertips on a flame—as well as ice—and running his DNA through multiple tests and experiments showed that he didn't have any ability that was close to his mother's, crossing off their theory that his powers would be genetic from Cadence. It wasn't until Harrison, who worked on a whim from his and Cadence's explanation of the night they rushed him to STAR Labs, came up behind the boy when he wasn't paying attention and prodded his leg with a fork that they realized what it was.

Caitlin reacted with a surprised cry of shock before scolding Harrison with as much intensity she had Cisco and Cadence frantically searched her son's thigh for any bleeding that may have incurred. And they were all surprised to find that the fork, and part of Harrison's hand, completely sank into Brady's thigh as if the skin wasn't there. Then the rest of the tests were made were the young boy was told to hold onto a ball and concentrate on some sort of power within him, that caused the ball to phase through Brady's hands and bounce on the floor. Then they had him do the same, while standing on the concrete ground and watched as he managed to sink up to his knees before stopping. Harrison quickly told Brady to do it again, but think of reversing the process so that he could lift himself out of the ground. It was then Barry noticed the tension in Harrison's face.

"What's wrong?" He asked the doctor, turning the man's attention his way. "You told him to come back out of the ground like it was about to swallow him whole or something."

"Because it can," Harrison said simply. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "I don't mean to scare you," he said as a warning to Brady, who shrugged and nodded. "I don't mean to scare anyone, but with Brady's means of being able to phase, we do have to be careful. There is the possibility of him becoming…stuck inside whatever matter he has managed to pass through." He thought for a moment. "Say going through that wall over there, if you lose concentration while going through the wall you become solid again and…"

"The question is whether or not it would be harmful," Caitlin pointed out once he noticed Brady starting to chew his lower lip in worry. "If he stops phasing through a solid object would it hurt _him_ or if he brought someone else into it would it hurt _them_ because they're not a meta?" She tilted her head to the side, eyes narrowing in thought. "This may not be that he's phasing in general, but that he's morphing his atoms in a way that—"

"—passing his atomic particles through the spaces between the atoms of the object through of what he's moving through," Harrison interrupted. He snapped fingers as he grinned. "Again, I am astounded at your cleverness, Dr. Snow."

"Thank you, Dr. Wells," Caitlin replied with a proud smile.

"In English, people, in English," Cadence said with a hint of frustration in her voice.

"It means that we have to teach Brady how to fight as soon as possible," Cisco declared with a bright grin on his face. Cadence made a noncommittal noise, tightening her grip on Brady's shoulders.

"You know he's in just as much danger as the rest of us are in, being associated with The Flash," Barry said to her, whispering the last part. She gave him a funny look out of the corner of her eye.

"You _are_ The Flash, Barry, you don't have to whisper," She reminded him, causing the two to exchange a laugh. She then let out a resigned sigh.

Seeing this, Cisco clapped his hands together and turned towards Brady, holding out his hands and twisting them back and forth as if he was examining the level of a hung photograph. "And I have to come up with a nickname."

"Really?" Brady's eyes lit up and he tilted his head back to look at Cadence. "Did you hear that, Mom? I get my own metahuman nickname!"

"Mmm, as long as it doesn't have anything to do with The Flash, I think you'll be good," Cadence remarked, looking at Barry out of the corner of her eye.

Barry rolled his eyes. "Thanks."

"You could've done any of the other nicknames I gave you," Cisco pointed out.

"Glow Stick? Really?"

"I think we're done for today," Harrison interrupted with a half smile lest his co-workers get stuck within an argument about nicknames and secret identities. It wasn't a conversation he necessarily needed to be a part of. "However it does bring to mind the serious thought I'm sure none of us have entertained; the Particle Accelerator explosion has stretched further than we could have anticipated. There may be other metas out there we hadn't thought to have been affected, Brady being an example of that. However there may be those that are much younger than those we have become accustomed to or much younger. We have to be prepared in case something happens."

"What are you trying to say?" Caitlin asked.

"That sooner or later we may have to come with the tough decision of what to do with a four year old kid that doesn't know how to control their powers," Cadence said. Her voice was so matter-of-fact that it made Barry's stomach churn. "Fight them, throw them into the Pipeline, or let them continue to wreak havoc." She scratched the back of her head. "It's sort of like how in my residency there's a kid that isn't being treated well and you have to decide whether or not to call CPS or give them back to the parents, knowing there's a great chance it would happen all over again.

Barry cringed.

He remembered being asked multiple questions the night his mother died. Did his father have any angry tendencies? Did he remember any times the two of them argued? Did he notice any tension between the two of them? Was he being fed? Did he have enough clothes? Was the house clean? Did he have anyone that he particularly wanted to live with? That was the one that had scared him the most. He didn't understand it; why couldn't he keep living with his father? He was told that his father was going to be gone for a while but he didn't think he would actually be thrown in jail…he didn't see him taken out of the house in handcuffs, Joe had already whisked him away to his house to go to sleep (he and Iris watched what was going on through an upstairs window). It all happened so fast and it still haunted him, Reverse Flash aside.

"Careful, Barry," Caitlin's voice suddenly came at his side, her hand slipping into his elbow. Startled, he looked over at her and she smiled at him. "You almost walked out onto the field. You don't want anyone to mistake you for a giant kid do you?"

"I can see it now," Cisco added with a laugh. "He'll probably be outrun by them all."

"What good is having the ability to run fast when you can't do it to beat a bunch of little kids?" Barry said, taking a step back away from the sidelines of the soccer field.

"Are some elementary school flashbacks coming to you?" Cadence teased as she walked over, trying a jacket around her waist. "You look like you all want to turn ail and run. But thanks for coming; I know Brady's going to be really excited to see you all here." She looked up and noticed her friends all smiling at her. "What? What's so funny?"

"Nothing." Barry exchanged a glance with Cisco and Caitlin and they all smile a little. Barry brought a hand up to his mouth to keep himself from laughing even harder. "It's just…I now realized that you are the actual personification of a Soccer Mom. Except without the minivan filled with crumbs of crushed snacks."

The fire metahuman rolled her eyes. "And that I don't get into car accidents, I don't yell at anyone, and I don't think the internet is sin." Cadence laughed lightly. "Thanks for pointing that out, it refreshes my fear that most people don't realize I have a life outside of being a mother."

"Like your residency?" Caitlin asked. She tilted her head to the side. "How's that going anyway?"

"It's going," Cadence said simply. "It's not easy, but it's rewarding." She scratched the back of her neck. "It's more than I can say for a lot of things." She turned towards the soccer field and watched as the two teams got set up to start playing their game.

"You tired of carpooling field trips already?" Cisco asked with a massive grin.

Cadence's resolve immediately broke and she practically scrubbed at her face with her fingertips. " _And_ if I have to listen to a bunch of tone deaf little kids scream stupid kid songs at the top of their lungs one more time I'm going to scream!"

"Well let's hope it doesn't come to that." Caitlin put her arm around Cadence's shoulder and hugged her to her side. She then frowned and looked down at the fire metahuman's attire of a crop top and jean shorts. "Aren't you cold?"

"No, thankfully my elevated body temperature keeps that from happening too often," Cadence said. She then gave Caitlin a once over noticing her dress beneath her open jacket as a wind blew causing Barry and Cisco to hunker down under their own jackets. "Aren't _you_ cold?"

"Oh, uh, not really. I didn't even notice...the cold…"

"Oh yeah?" Cisco gazed at her. "Who's the guy?"

Caitlin's cheeks, which were already pink from the cold, turned even pinker. "There's no guy," She protested in a tone that was very unconvincing. "I just…I just thought it looked good."

"Right. So is the guy here?"

"Yeah, I don't see anyone," Cadence jumped in on the teasing.

"There is no guy, alright?"

"Then why are you blushing?"

"It's cold!"

Cisco wagged his finger. "You just said you _weren't_ cold."

Barry made a humming sound, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket and looked around. He could see other parents settling down on the bleachers and standing around, little kids running back and forth, and he sighed, remembering the days when it was him on the soccer field and his parents standing on the sidelines cheering him on. It was probably one of the few memories he had of running where he didn't worry about being beat up at the end of it.

"Well, I see you all managed to make it okay," Harrison said as he very slowly managed to traverse his motorized wheelchair over the terrain of the soccer field. "For a, what I believe, shall be an eventful day of a children's soccer game." He adjusted the blanket across his lap that reached down to his feet. "Suffice to say, I haven't been to one of these in a long time."

"Join the club," Barry agreed. His eyes shifted behind his mentor to find Ryder walking their way. At first he took long, confident strides, but as he spotted the group together they slowed to short, uncertain ones. Barry waved his hand and Ryder nodded back, approaching the group.

"Hey," he said once he arrived. "It's good to see all of you."

"Hey," Cadence replied. "Glad you could make it." She pointed to each of her friends. "You remember Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin." They all nodded and smiled when their names were called. Cadence hesitated for a second before turning to Harrison. "And this is Dr. Harrison Wells, he, uh…"

Barry made a face, suddenly realizing that Ryder may not have known about Cadence's true parentage. As far as he could tell there weren't many secrets that were kept amongst the rich so he was probably aware of her being adopted.

"Yeah, I remember," Ryder interrupted. "He's been to a bunch of our sporting events and stuff." He reached out a hand towards the scientist. "It's good to see you again, Dr. Wells." Harrison regarded him with a raised eyebrow then reached out his own hand and shook it firmly."

"It's good to see you, too," Harrison finally said. He dropped his hands to his lap once more. "I'm sorry; I don't think I remember what I've been told. What is it that you do again? Why are you out here in Central City?"

"I'm an architect," Ryder replied, nodding like a bobble head. Barry could see that he was intimidated by the man and he certainly understood that. When he first woke up in STAR Labs with Caitlin and Cisco both shining flashlights in his faces, he was excited to meet his idol. But at the same time he was intimidated by him and his success. How many people were able to say they were finally able to be in the same room, let alone have their lives saved by the same person they had looked up to for the past few years? In many ways, Barry based off his form of scientific studies on Harrison's practices. "I'm working on the new office building that is being built downtown. Not to mention fixing up the one that was bombed. At the moment we're speaking of the sorts of interior structures for the walls to be sure it can withstand intense heat in case something with those…uh, what do they call them?"

"Metahumans," Cisco interrupted. "They're called metahumans."

"Right, in case there are other metahumans that have some sort of an agenda around here," Ryder continued. "It really does seem like it. But The Flash or The Streak or whatever they're calling him is doing a great job of making sure the city is safe."

"That's what we're hoping," Harrison agreed. He caught Barry's eye and winked towards him, causing Barry to smile back. "The Flash has been doing a great job of keeping this city safe and we're all very proud of him."

Barry could feel his cheeks flush, the attention really starting to embarrass him. There was a sharp blast of a whistle and he turned around to watch the two teams play the game. Barry tried to concentrate as much as he could, cheering at the right spots and clapping when it was necessary. But he couldn't keep his mind off his mother. He became so distracted that his eyes shifted back and forth from the field to the crowd every now and then, expecting to see her or Henry standing there and clapping as well. But then he'd remember that his mother was gone and his father was in jail. And he'd mentally scold himself before turning back to the field to do it all over again.

On his fifth or sixth glance around the field, he stopped and stared as hard as he could. Was that the Black Flash? Blinking hard, Barry rubbed at his eyes and looked off in the direction once more. He could see the tall figure in a black suit staring at him not moving, fingers twitching at his sides. Barry's mouth slowly dropped open as he stared at the Black Flash, head slowly tilting. The Black Flash mimicked him, head tilting to the side. Barry straightened his head and the Black Flash did the same. He curled his hands into fist as did the Black Flash.

Barry gritted his teeth, feeling the familiar surge of power that washed over him seconds before he was about to exhibit his powers to the best of his abilities. Then he felt a hand on his arm and looked over to find Cisco watching him.

"Are you okay?" He looked around then leaned towards him. "Your eyes were starting to flash, dude. And I mean that really creepy, kinda cool lightning flash going through it."

"I saw him," Barry whispered back. "The Black Flash. He was over there." He nodded in the direction he had seen the Black Flash last then frowned when there was nothing there. "I swear I saw him there, I'm not going crazy." Or maybe he was. Maybe he was becoming so stressed with everything, with the Reverse Flash being back around hat he couldn't keep his head on straight. Or there was one other option. "You don't see Mindboggler anywhere around here, do you? Maybe she's doing something to me again. Like how she made me see my Mom."

"I think we would know if someone from the Suicide Squad was back," Cisco said. His eyes shifted and Barry looked at him for a long moment. "I mean, how weird would that be, right? That they suddenly popped up out of nowhere again? It's weird, right?" He turned back to the soccer game and nodded appreciatively. "Wow, that guy did a…cool thing, that sliding kick thing…"

Barry continued to stare at the side of Cisco's face. He looked over at their friends before grasping his arm and pulling him a few feet away. "What's going on, Cisco? You're acting even weirder than usual."

"Okay. Okay." Cisco ran a hand through his hair. "Bette came to visit me at STAR Labs." Barry's eyes widened and he crossed his arms over his chest, mouth dropping.

"W-what? I-I, what did she want? Did anything happen? Are you okay?" Barry couldn't stop himself before the words came tumbling out of his mouth faster and faster. Judging by the way Cisco's eyes narrowed and his cheeks twitched Barry could tell he was using his increased speed to speak rapidly. But he couldn't help it, every worry he had about the Assassination Bureau and the Suicide Squad came flooding back.

Breathtaker may have erased the minds of nearly everyone in the city but those that had seen what he had done first hand was another story. Telling Breathtaker that he had to leave Central City…he thought it was too easy. There was nothing that was keeping him, Stratos, Mindboggler, or Incognito from coming back other than lulling himself and his friends into a false sense of security.

"Whoa, slam on the breaks there, speedy," Cisco said. He held up his hands and looked Barry up and down. "Though there are a bunch of advantages to your powers for sure. Public speaking must be a breeze."

"Not until you're trying to sleep and your mind won't shut up or when you're trying to do things normally and have to act like you can't just do it in a matter of seconds, or when you're—"

"Okay, I think I get the point." Cisco sighed heavily. "Bette came to see me just to talk. But we didn't talk about the Suicide Squad or the Assassination Bureau. We talked about her."

"What about her? Is everything okay?" Before he had managed to turn Cadence around from her life of crime—and not knowing that he had been her current target for capture amongst the Assassination Bureau—Barry thought he could've found a great friend and confidant within Bette. She was very wary around those in STAR Labs considering how much she was being chased around by General Eiling, who wanted her abilities of turning anything into explosives to be tested upon for the creation of super soldiers within his army. Despite knowing she was working with the team of rag-tag villains under the work of ARGUS he did still worry.

"Everything's fine as far as I can tell," Cisco said honestly. "Just that for the moment she was working alone and trying to figure out a place to keep herself preoccupied instead of worrying about Eiling breathing down her neck. She didn't tell me where she was staying or anything but that she wanted to apologize for what happened, especially since you did your best to save her."

"Yeah, well, I didn't quite save her from being brought back from the dead," Barry reminded her. "Which I didn't think was even possible, but then again I'm the fastest man alive."

Cisco smiled.

"Just…keep me posted. If she comes by again, or if anything else comes up…it's not a good idea to keep it all bottled inside. I think you know as well as I do."

"Yeah…" Cisco lowered his gaze to his feet.

"Is there something else?"

"Pssht. Whaaaat? No. Everything's fine."

Barry nodded and focused on the game playing out in front of him once more, suddenly realizing that he had managed to miss a lot of it. The score shot up to 5-3, with Brady's team winning quicker than he had thought was possible. But the kids playing were really good, as Cadence explained between her loud shouts of encouragement and direction, he had been playing since he was four and had been part of the team that played year round for the past two years. The rest of the team appeared to be just as good.

Finally the last whistle was called and the game ended with the score of 5-4. After speaking to the rest of his team, Brady hurried to his friends with a soccer ball in his hands. "Hi!" He greeted everyone as they cheered for him. "Did you see my goal? Did you see my slide tackle?" He didn't give anyone a chance to respond before holding up his soccer ball. "Look, I got the game winning ball!"

"We saw," Cadence agreed. "And we're very excited for you, bud. Awesome job." She held up her hands and he dropped the ball to give her a double high-five. "How about we go out for dinner tonight to celebrate?"

Brady twisted his mouth to the side. "Can you show me how to do that flippy throw instead?"

"Flippy throw?" Caitlin repeated.

"A flip throw in," Ryder explained. "It's used to throw the ball in play and helps you throw the ball further than a standard throw in."

"You played soccer, too?" Barry asked.

"I did, actually," Ryder replied with a nod.

Barry rolled his eyes. _Of course you did._

"And I played basketball too." Ryder crouched down in front of Brady and motioned towards the soccer ball. Brady handed it over to him and Ryder flipped it up into his hand before spinning it on his index finger for a few seconds. "It's easier with an actual basket ball but you get the point." He stopped the ball between his hands and held it out towards Brady.

The eight year old's eyes were wide. "Wow, how'd you do that?"

"A lot of practice." Ryder reached out and ruffled his hair. "You did good today, Little Man. Thanks for inviting me."

With the word 'invite' Brady seemed to remember something for he turned to his mother and motioned for her to bend down. He whispered something into her ear and she nodded before standing up straight. Then Brady turned back to the others, smiling even wider than before. "Will you guys come to my birthday party? It's this weekend."

"And where do you intend to have this birthday party?" Harrison asked.

"The circus," Cadence replied as her lips pulled into a tight smile. "The Central City Circus."

"The Central City Circus?" Barry repeated before he could stop himself. "They come to town every year! It's one of the best shows the city puts on. Did you know that the elephants they have in the shows are some of the longest living elephants in the world? And they're the biggest circus running with more than a thousand workers?" All eyes turned to him and he shrugged. "My Mom and Dad used to take me to the circus every year. Joe and Iris, too." He cleared his throat. "A party at a circus sounds cool."

"Wait..." Cisco pointed over to Cadence who tried her best to keep her smile up. "Why aren't _you_ excited for the Circus?"

"She doesn't like clowns," Brady, Ryder, and Harrison all explained in unison, causing Caitlin to laugh and nudge her best friend on the arm and say, "I thought you weren't afraid of anything?"

"Clearly you haven't seen her around a spider," Ryder commented.

"No, just in a metal tube," Cisco remarked, causing Caitlin and Cadence to both whack him on the arm. Barry laughed quietly while Harrison smiled. Ryder smiled politely despite clearly not knowing they were referring to how they found out about her claustrophobia. "I mean…what?"

"We'd love to go," Caitlin agreed. "Thanks for inviting us."

"Your Mom's birthday, Christmas, your birthday, and New Year's all within a few weeks," Barry commented, taking Brady's attention away from Ryder. "This must be your favorite time of year."

"Yeah! I get a lot of days off of school _and_ no homework."

Barry started to say something else but was cut off by his phone blaring. He looked at the caller ID and immediately answered when he saw it was Joe. "Hey Joe, what's up?"

"You're not going to believe me when I say this," Joe said slowly. "Or you will and that's a bigger problem."

"Joe, what's wrong?"

"It's Snart. He's back." As soon as the words came from Joe's mouth, Barry's blood ran cold as if Leonard Snart had blasted him with the freeze gun. He remembered just how much it burned, how slowly he had moved when he was hit the first time. It had made him too slow to keep from saving the life of an innocent bystander and that guilt followed him nearly every day. Knowing he was back… "But he's not alone this time. There's someone else with him; an accomplice. We haven't gotten an ID on his accomplice yet but they've already knocked over a jewelry store and we don't know where they're headed now."

"Okay, okay, I'll be there as soon as I can." Barry hung up the phone and turned back to his friends, who were staring at him curiously. "That was Joe," he explained. "I have to get into work. There's a _,_ uh, situation that I have to deal with. You know a guy that we've been chasing for a while." He looked back and forth from Harrison, to Caitlin to Cisco hoping they would get what he was trying to say. "A bit of a _cold_ case."

A light bulb seemed to illuminate over Caitlin's head and she sprang into action. "Oh, well, that does seem really important. Why don't you go ahead, Barry? We'll see you later." She reached out and grabbed onto the handles of Harrison's wheelchair. "We have to get going too; I forgot there was some stuff we had to have done today. C'mon, Cisco."

"Right, right." Cisco reached out and grabbed Ryder's hand, shaking it firmly. "Well it was good to see you again, Ryder. I hope you stick around. Oh!" He brought a fist up to cover his mouth. "Wow. I didn't…I mean…that was such a…a _bad_ choice of words. Terrible, really."

"Don't worry, Cisco, I know what you meant," Ryder reassured him with an easygoing smile though embarrassment tinged his cheeks red. "I guess I'll just see you guys later."

Barry exchanged a glance with Cadence and widened his eyes, hoping that he would get his telepathic signal that there was something the two of them needed to handle of the metahuman persuasion. Sort of. Cadence understood and she chewed her lower lip before sighing heavily, turning towards Ryder.

"Could you do be a _huge_ favor and watch Brady for a while?" She asked. Ryder's eyebrows rose in stunned surprise. "Look, I know this is last minute but there's something I really have to do."

"That _doesn't_ have to do with what I need to do," Barry nervously broke in. "Or Caitlin, Cisco, or Harrison. It's all just a—a coincidence. A freak coincidence."

"Right," Cadence said. "Anyway if you're going to be in Central City for a while then you should get the opportunity to get to know him and for him to get to know you."

"O-okay, that's fine," Ryder said. He cocked his head to the side in confusion as everyone started to walk off in different directions leaving him and Brady behind. "Is there anything I should know?"

"He's allergic to strawberries, he can be very picky with his food, and don't listen to him when he says he doesn't have any homework, he usually does," Cadence said as she backed away from him. "Otherwise it's like taking care of a pet."

"Hey!" Brady cried.

"I'll see you later, bud." Cadence whirled around and practically jogged at Barry's side to keep up with his long stride. "You're a terrible liar, Tholly, you know that?"

"Yeah, well, it's hard to come up with something when you're trying to think of a way to finally take down Snart," Barry replied, keeping his eyes forward as they walked off the field and into the parking lot.

"Snart?" Cadence repeated. "What's a Snart?"

"I'll explain it on the way," Barry said. He reached out his arm and Cadence grabbed it before Barry bent down and swung her legs up into his arms, cradling her against him as they raced to STAR Labs.

* * *

"Be careful, Barry, we don't know what this other guy that's working with Snart is capable of," Caitlin's voice came through Barr's ear piece.

"Captain Cold, remember," Cisco then said. "We call him Captain Cold."

"Arguing over the name we give him is not pertinent to us at the moment," Harrison scolded them. "At the moment, figuring out what Snart wants and the identity of his accomplice is."

Barry nodded and continued running to the coordinates that Harrison had relayed to him and Cadence. The fire metahuman ran along beside him, matching his pace the best she could as she teleported to keep up every now and then. They turned a corner and came face to face with Leonard Snart standing in the middle of the street amongst shards of glass from a nearby car that looked to be completely encased in a block of ice. As he caught site of The Flash, he lowered the hood of his parka.

"Ah, well if it isn't the Flash," Snart called in a mocking tone. His eyes shifted over to Cadence. "Looks like you've brought reinforcements." His pale pink lips pulled back into a sinister smile as he gestured towards his accomplice with a massive, scientific looking gun. "I've brought some reinforcements as well; why don't we take the second to all get acquainted? Mick, Flash, Flash, Mick."

Mick let out a low growl, drumming his fingertips along the side of his gun. Barry and Cadence exchanged a glance as they studied him. Not only was his size imposing, about forty pounds or so heavier than Snart but packed into a taller build. He also had the muscles to spare but there were third degree buns all over his shoulders and the sides of his arms as they poked out from his tank top. Judging by the snarl on Mick's face, the burns didn't seem to bother him at all.

"Now that we have that out of the way, why don't we cut to the chase…"

"What do you want?" Barry shot back.

"Other than killing you?" Snart pretended to think about it, his eyes shooting skyward. He then leveled his gaze and shook his head back and forth. "No. Nothing more than that. You see, I want you out of the way. I don't care if it's that you're dead and buried or if you're completely crippled, but I want you gone."

"That's not gonna happen," Barry shot back. "I can't have you destroy the rest of the city and steal whatever you want. I won't let you. You're not welcome here."

"Well, now that's just _cold_ ," Snart replied. With that, he pumped the action on his cold gun and shot a stream of ice towards Barry. Barry immediately zipped out of the way just as Cadence reacted and counteracted the icy blast with a fiery one of her own. Snart let out a snarl and pulled his gun back, pulling his finger off the action. "Well, well, well, look who's got some tricks up their sleeve."

"Beautiful," Mick rumbled, eyes trained to the flames that dissipated in front of him. As if dazed, he took a step forward. "Simply beautiful." He picked up his gun and pumped the action. A high pitched whirring sound filled the air as the sides of his gun stared to glow red. He pressed his button to the trigger and fire shot out of the tip towards Cadence.

"Flash Fire! Watch out!" Barry called towards her.

Cadence held up her hands and retaliated with her own fiery blast. The two collided and created a mini implosion, the shockwave forced out in all directions. Barry was about to call out once more but stopped as an arctic wind blew by his face. Feeling a tightening on his skin, he reached up and came across a light sheen of ice on his sky, frozen droplets stuck to his eye lashes. Snart's attack had come very close to him that time.

Too close.

He ran out of the way and stared to run back and forth across the street with Snart shooting off blasts of his gun after him, each one missing him by seconds. _Captain Cold has been practicing hard,_ he realized, noticing how quickly he adjusted his aim to fire after Barry once more, one right after another.

"You're gonna have to slow down sometime, Flash!" Snart called as he continued to shoot at him. His voice continued to become increasingly vicious in his frustration. "And I'll see to it that it's because of me!"

Barry leapt towards a light pole and grabbed onto it. With his momentum he flung himself around and launched back towards the man. He timed it just right so that it came in between Snart's blasts. Snaer was turning back to take another shot at Barry when he came back. Barry watched Snart's expression turn to one of surprise seconds before his foot connected with Snart's chest, knocking him off his feet.

Barry landed on the ground in a crouch turning around when he felt searing heat on his back. He whipped around, glancing behind him as he did so, relieved to find that Cisco's suit—originally intended for firefighters—held up well and he hadn't been burnt. It was the close proximity of the incredible amount of heat from Mick's gun that had caught him off guard. He found Mick charging up a large blast from his gun. He shot it out towards Cadence and she held her hands out in front of her, catching it.

Surpried, Barry watched as she moved her hands in a windmill, bringing Mick's stream of fire towards her and compressing it into a ball. The ball continued to grow in size by the second and Cadence threw it back to Mick with a hard burst of energy. Mick barely got out of the way, the side of his body burned by the counter attack. His clothes and skin smoldered, otherwise he was unharmed. Instead of screaming in pain as others would, Mick pried his shirt away from his body taking a layer of skin with it.

"Ahh, isn't that scent just intoxicating?" Mick asked as the smell of burning flesh hit the air. He picked up his heat gun and started to charge it once more. Snart got to his feet and walked up to Mick's side, pointing his gun towards them as well.

A siren suddenly hit the air, capturing the four's attention.

Snart immediately lowered his gun and shook his head. "Well, it looks like I'll be catching you later, Flash," he said. "I could do a monologue about how this isn't over but you know that I don't work that way. Mick! Let's roll!" The two climbed into a nearby car and peeled away from the scene.

"Barry, Cadence, come back to the lab," Harrison said through their communication devices. "There's something we should discuss."

"What about those guys?"

"The CCPD can handle it for now."

Cadence hesitated before teleporting with Barry arriving back at STAR Labs seconds behind her.

* * *

"So there was a slight setback to my plan." Snart crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall behind him his eyes trained on the cold gun as it sat on the table in front of him. "We've been running surveillance on him this long; I didn't expect her to be that strong. This may be a bit harder than I thought. But we're not down for the count, yet."

Mick sat in a nearby chair running a flame from a lighter back and forth along the edge of a wooden table. He watched as the flame continued to bend back and forth, above and below the barrier cutting off its dance with every slight movement of his hand. The wood turned a nightmarish black covered in soot and ash increasing the length and number of scorch marks that lined the table. He then leaned back in his seat bringing the lighter up and running his free hand over it, singing his skin. But the pain was just oh so delicious, his euphoric smile from the burn on his side continued to grow as he moved and let the burn sting.

Just another third degree burn to add to his collection.

But this time brought on by one of the most mesmerizing of sources.

"Does this mean you're going to give up the chase?" Mick's voice was low and rumbling, much deeper than it would have been if he hadn't inhaled a lot of smoke from his previous fires. Still it matched the intensity blazing through his eyes.

"Not quite." Snart reached up his hand and started to rub his chin. "I have a few more ideas. Of which should really set a fire underneath the Flash's. Quick. Feet."

"Sounds good to me." Mick flicked the lid to his lighter shut and turned to face Snart with a malicious smile. "You know how much I _love_ fire."

* * *

 **A/N:** So with the action of the Reverse Flash within the last couple of chapters there's gonna be more lighthearted goodness to go around with these before going back into the action with the Rogues. Woohoo, finally got to that part! I'm so incredibly excited for it it's a bit embarrassing.

So let me know what you guys think.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	18. When It Rains, It Pours

**.:18:.**

* * *

Cadence glanced at the screen of her cell phone. Ignoring the texts that came in from her parents, she looked at the time then shook her head. She rested her back against the mirror behind her and smiled, watching as Brady danced across the hardwood floor to the music that came out of the boom box by her side. She hadn't noticed how much he had picked up from watching some of her Zumba classes until he had started to mimic her moves at times. He was starting to get pretty good at the hip-hop style.

"Good job, bud," Cadence called as the music stopped.

"Thank you." Brady smiled and walked over to her. He dropped to his knees and looked at the door curiously. "Is no one coming?"

"Yeah, my class got cancelled," Cadence said with a light sigh. "I'm sorry I had to wake you up so early and bring you here for nothing."

"That's okay, I like watching you dance. I can tell you really like it." He squinted his eyes. "Is that why you were a cheerleader?"

"Yeah, I guess." Chuckling, Cadence shook her head. Actually, if she remembered correctly, her mother gave her the choice of doing cheerleading or starting in the pageant circuit. And pageantry wasn't really anything she was particularly interested in. As much as she loved dressing up and wearing pretty dresses and cute clothes, the idea of having to put on all of that make-up and fake a smile in front of people who were judging her by how cute she looked—which was exactly how her mother put it—didn't fly with her. So she opted for cheerleading. One of the best decisions she had ever made, really. "Speaking of, how were things with Ryder after we left the game?"

Brady shrugged, turning his attention to his shoelaces, tugging at them. "It was okay," he said. "We played some more soccer. He taught me how to do the flip throw in." Brady shrugged again. "I can't really do it right, but he taught me how."

"That's nice."

"He told me that once he's done on his project he'll move onto some of the other buildings in Central City to reinforce them."

 _So he's going to be around a little bit longer._ Cadence twisted her mouth to the side. That seemed a bit fishy. He had said before he was only working on the office building that had been blown apart when Bette had come through, but now his work had been extended. _Isn't that what you wanted? For him to be a father to Brady?_ Cadence sighed, tilting her head back. That was the part that confused her the most; she was getting what she wanted in the first place of him being around to do that, but at the same time she had worked just fine on her own. It wasn't like she didn't still care about Ryder, she didn't love him, but she still cared.

"And that he's excited for my birthday because he missed so many of them." Brady blew his hair out of his face and looked away from his shoes. "It was fun. I like him."

"Good. That's good to hear." Cadence reached out and ran her fingers through Brady's hair.

"What happened with that call?" Brady asked in turn. He shifted so that he sat Indian style on the floor. "You and Barry had to leave really fast. So did Cisco, Caitlin, and…" he paused and Cadence could see as he struggled to figure out how to refer to his newly found grandfather. "Dr. Wells."

"There are these guys called Leonard Snart and Mick Rory," Cadence explained. "Apparently they're big time criminals that have taken some of the most expensive things from around Central City. Like, they've been in and out of jail a long time." She sighed, realizing how easily she could've ended up like them due to her work with the Assassination Bureau. Now that she thought of it, she wouldn't be surprised if a photo of her was back with the Smallville PD because of that one fire she was framed for. She was equally surprised she didn't end up in the Pipeline the moment she met Barry due to her methods of trying to get his attention for the criminal organization. "And they have these things called a Cold Gun and a Hear Gun." Brady's eyebrows lowered. "Yeah, apparently when Barry had been struck by lightning, Cisco created the Cold Gun as a way to take Barry down in case he turned out to be evil or something. And then the last time Felicity was here in Central City Snart got a hold of it and things went downhill from there."

"So there're people running around with guns that shoot ice and fire?"

"Pretty much."

"And those were the guys that you were going after?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." Brady nodded. "Well, if anyone can beat them you and Barry can do it. You have the power of fire; maybe that can help."

"I was thinking the same thing." Cadence looked at her phone again and started to gather her things. "Okay, so I have someone I need to go see at the hospital. And then I can take you over to Connor's house. I want to meet his Mom anyway."

"She's nice," Brady said. "I think you'd like her."

"Why? Because she lets you and Connor eat whatever you want? Which of course just means a lot of sugar which doesn't bode well for me when you get back home because you're constantly bouncing off the walls." Brady grinned then laughed when his mother tried to give him a stern look, wrapping his arms around himself and falling to his side. She couldn't help but notice the mischievous glint in his eye that she realized had come from Ryder. He normally had that look whenever he was about to tell her something stupid he and his friends had done or were about to do. "You know it's moments like these make me realize when you're a teenager you're either going to be very easy to get along with or a pain in the butt."

"Maybe," Brady said. He brushed his hair from his eyes. "I haven't decided yet."

"Thanks for the warning." Cadence pushed his hair back and studied his face. "You need a haircut." She grabbed onto his hands and stood up, pulling him at the same time so he popped to his feet. "Let's go." She turned and kneeled down so that Brady climbed up onto her back, wrapping his arms around her neck. She picked up the boom box and her gym bag and walked out of the empty dance studio. "Hey, Lydia, here's the boom box and my keys."

"Thanks Cadence," Lydia replied as she took the items and placed them behind the receptionist desk. "I'm sorry your class was cancelled last minute. We didn't want to waste your time with a class of about two or three."

"Don't worry about it, I got some time to hang out with Brady for a while so he could see what I do," Cadence replied. She gave a stiff smile. "Did I mention he's off of school until after New Year's?"

"Yeah, I think you mentioned it once or twice." Lydia laughed, sitting back in her seat. "Don't forget that we're having our dance competition soon, coming up in March or so. So there's that to look forward to, too."

"Alright, thanks for letting me know. I've got a few people in mind already. There's this girl, Sage, who is one of the other classes I take and she's pretty good." Cadence looked at Brady, who smiled back at her so dimples appeared in his cheeks, and she turned back to Lydia. "We'll see you later." She gave a short wave then left the gym. She walked around the corner and found a nearby alley to duck down into. She looked back and forth for a moment before looking up at Brady. "I don't expect you'd want to try and phase us there do you?"

Brady pressed his lips together. "I'm scared," he said honestly.

"About what? Your powers?"

He shook his head. "No, that's cool," he lowered his voice to a mumble. The same kind of mumble little kids used when they felt they were in trouble for something and didn't want to admit they were wrong. "I don't want to get stuck somewhere."

"And that's why Harrison and Cisco and Caitlin are going to help you. They're already working hard with me and Barry, especially making sure that Barry's getting faster now that the Reverse Flash has shown its face again. They're not going to let you fall by the wayside." She tilted her head. "No matter how much I don't want them to, they're not going to let your powers control you."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want you to get hurt. The point of being your Mom is to protect you. Having that control taken away is a hard thing to get used to. Especially since I've had to fight for that for a while."

"With Gramma and PaPa?"

"Exactly."

"Oh." Brady tightened his grip around his mother's neck. "Maybe it's my turn to protect you."

"Maybe," Cadence agreed. She patted Brady on the leg then looked around once more before teleporting to the hospital. She walked inside and signed herself in, walking to the fourth floor of the hospital. "Alright, I need to talk to someone for a few minutes. So you stay here and _don't. Move."_

Brady twisted his mouth to the side. "What if I need to go to the bathroom?"

"Then go to the bathroom. Play a game on my phone if you want." She pulled the object out of her pocket and handed it over to him. "Read a magazine. Just don't go wandering around here. It's too easy to get lost and I don't want security to call me again." Brady rolled his eyes and Cadence knew he was thinking of his statement to defend himself; I was three. Yes, at three years old while she had been in a class Brady had slipped out of the classroom and wandered off nearly setting her off into a full blown panic before campus security had walked him back to her with a disapproving look. Brady, otherwise unaware of his faux pas toddled over to her and hugged her leg, his free hand clutching tightly to the lollipop he had been given.

"Fine," he said. "But are we still going to Connor's after this?"

"Yes, we are. I promise." Cadence kissed him on the forehead and reached into her gym bag to grab her ID badge. She clipped it to the front of her shirt and walked through a pair of double doors with a confident stride that took her to the room she was looking for. She knocked on the door frame before walking inside.

Michael Bloom turned to her and gave a half smile then ran his hands over his face. A weary smile escaped his lips and he dropped his hands. "You have to stop. There's nothing you can do or say that will keep them from keeping me in here."

"I can if I can figure out a way to get people to understand you don't deserve to be considered a mental patient," Cadence replied. "Especially considering you were doing it against your own will."

"I still don't know how you know that."

Cadence sighed heavily, tilting her head back. She had contemplated time and time again to tell him about her powers, her identity as Flash Fire—of which she noticed she finally was mentioned on Iris's blog, not that she cared _that_ much—and explain everything the Assassination Bureau wanted and why they needed him. But she couldn't risk that and risk the rest of STAR Labs and Barry's identity and Harrison's, Caitlin's, and Cisco's jobs and her own privacy and….well she didn't know if he would believe her.

"I just know," she finally said. "Trust me, I've studied as a doctor for a long time, I may be finishing up my residency as a pediatrician but that doesn't mean I didn't get an education in knowing the human body in general. You don't show the same signs as what one would consider a 'typical' mental patient." She used air quotes around the words. "Especially as your medical history doesn't inflate the statement." She picked up his clipboard and looked it over. "Says here you're supposed to go up to the observation floor so that you can get some counseling."

"I'm going to be admitted soon I'm sure," Michael commented. The man rubbed is forehead. "I haven't been able to see my kid since I've been here."

"She didn't want to come?"

"I don't want her to see me here. I don't want her to visit me and thinking that her father is completely…" he trailed off. "Thanks for trying to help me, Cadence. But it's not your responsibility."

 _It is when I'm part of the reason you're here,_ Cadence thought. But she understood what he meant. She couldn't take on the brunt of his problems because Mindboggler had successfully taken over his mind and pushed him to kidnapping Brady and doing whatever else he was told to do. She gave Michael a small smile and replaced his medical chart. "I hope things work out for you. If you don't want me to come see you again, that's fine."

"I'm sorry for everything that happened with Brady. If I had known that would happen, I would've turned down the money I was offered. I didn't mean any harm to your son."

"That's alright. I know you didn't. You didn't really have a choice." Cadence waved to Michael before slipping out of the room. She carefully closed the door behind her before walking back down the hallway. She passed by an adjoining hall and recognized a familiar face. Her blood ran cold and she ducked her head, increasing her speed. For a moment she cursed the fact she decided to go to the hospital where she had little to no chance of being able to teleport and the thought alone increased her speed.

"Miss. Nash?"

And yet she was still caught.

Cadence sucked a sharp breath of air through her teeth then turned to face Professor Lepek. His stern expression let her know he wasn't happy to see her as he had been many times before. "I've been trying to reach you but it seems I've never called at a good time or I was sent straight to your voicemail."

"Right." Cadence lowered her gaze. "I've been really, _really_ busy. Some things had come up that I didn't anticipate and I've been dealing with that."

"Yes, well, I couldn't help but notice the increasing frequency of your disappearances when you are to be doing your rounds or other duties as assigned," Professor Lepek said. He looked at a chart in his hand. "As it happens, you missed a scheduled shift recently." Cadence winced, knowing it was during the soccer game when she gotten a phone call she ignored. But dealing with the meathumans—or Snart and Rory—was more important.

Or was it?

She had struggled a lot in terms of what held the most importance in her life. Dealing with the metahumans and her working life, when she was trying hard to be a good example not only to Brady, but to herself, was difficult. She knew from the beginning, before meeting Barry and the others that a career in the medical field was going to be hard and take up a lot of her time. But this was even harder than she thought.

"I know, I just—"

"-Was it an emergency?"

Did she think having two crazed people wielding an ice and cold gun and emergency? Yes, she did. But she couldn't say that. Instead, she lowered her head and chewed her lower lip. She looked up when Professor Lepek let out a long sigh. He gazed at her, hands clasped together in front of him.

"You have a lot of promise in the medical field, Cadence, and I had a great time working with you."

"Had?" Cadence repeated meekly.

"But as it is, not only have your shirked your duties but we have wasted a lot of man power to cover your missed shifts as well as you haven't given me a good reason as to why you should remain in this program. I'm sorry Cadence, but I have to ask you to leave."

Cadence's jaw dropped no matter how hard she tried to keep it closed. She knew it was coming due to the influx of messages she had received. She just hadn't expected it to hurt so much. Everything she worked hard for was ripped out from underneath her within a few moments. Cadence brought her hand to her stomach thinking Professor Lepek had actually punched her. The wind was certainly knocked out of her, she wasn't even sure she wasn't crying.

"I'm sorry."

Professor Lepek stepped around her and walked down the hallway without a backwards glance. It wasn't hard for him; she and the others in the residency program had been told there was usually about two or three people over the course of the program that didn't make it all the way. She didn't think it would be her.

A tear trickled out the corner of Cadence's eye and she hastily wiped it away as doctors and nurses continued to steam by. But others continued to fall before she could stop them. She wiped her eyes as quickly as she could, finally turning on her heel and walked back to where Brady was waiting for her. He looked up as she arrived, holding out her phone. "Roy keeps calling you," he said and then frowned as if deeply offended when he saw her face. "What's wrong? Mom, why are you crying?"

"It's nothing, bud, I'm okay." Cadence reached out and stroked his cheek before taking his phone. She sniffed loudly and glanced at the five missed calls. Must be serious. She nearly jumped as her phone started to ring again, showing Roy's name. Cadence brought the phone to her ear and tried to steady her voice. "Hey Roy, what's up? Did you need a break from Starling City?"

For a second Cadence was bombarded by the sound of sniffling and what sounded like static. She pulled her phone from her ear and glanced at the reception before putting the phone back to her ear. Then she heard Roy talking a mile a minute, his words blending together with his mumbling. Cadence frowned, Roy already had a deep voice but his mumbling was making it harder to figure out what he was trying to say. But something in Cadence's gut let her know something had happened.

Brady moved in front of her and waved a hand in her face, trying to know what was going on. Cadence brought her finger to her lips, telling him to wait. "Roy, what's wrong?"

"It's Oliver," Roy finally replied.

"What about Oliver?"

"He's dead."

"What?" Cadence tightened her grip on her phone. "What'd you—seriously, Roy?"

"He's dead," Roy repeated. "He went to go after Ra's al Ghul back in Lian Yu. He threatened to send the League of Assassins into Starling City if he didn't reveal who killed Sara and…and he went after him himself and he didn't make it…" Cadence opened her mouth to say something but found she was at a loss for words.

Oliver, dead?

Oliver Queen?

That was the guy she never thought would be taken down. He had gone through doing incredibly dumb things; racing cars, gambling, drinking, partying, cheating on his girlfriend—or girlfriend _s_ she wasn't sure—to turning around and being the staple of hope for the reduction of corruption that plagued Starling City. He had done so many things to save everyone on a near daily basis with a team that worked below his leadership…she, in a way, grew up with the guy as a constant fixture in her life. They weren't best friends by any means but they were friendly to each other when meeting up.

And now he was gone?

"I have to go," She finally said. "I'll call you later." She hung up and started to dial Barry's number.

Brady made an impatient sound and tugged at the bottom of her shirt. "What's going on?" he demanded. Cadence shushed him again. She listened as her phone rang and Barry finally picked up.

"Hey Cadence, what's up?" She could hear the smile in his voice and sighed, suddenly feeling warm. She was not ready for this. "Are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm still here," Cadence finally said. She braced herself. "Hey, I've got some bad news from Starling City."

"What happened? Is everything okay?"

"Not really. Barry…Oliver's dead."

* * *

Barry stared at the blank wall of STAR Labs, dangerously close to falling out of his chair. How long had he been sitting there? He wasn't sure. How long had it been since Cadence told him what happened to Oliver? He wasn't sure of that either. Time seemed to have completely stopped as soon as the words came out of her mouth. As a matter of face, he was sure he dropped his phone to the ground. His hands had become clammy and a chill slid through his body.

Oliver was dead.

Oliver Queen was dead.

Dead and gone.

Just like his mother.

How many more people was he supposed to lose in his life? How many more people around him were going to be in the same sort of danger? He couldn't imagine anything happening to Joe or Iris that would destroy him. Not even Caitlin, Cisco, Dr. Wells, Cadence, or Brady….or Captain Singh or Eddie. Anything happening to any of them…the thought alone made him want to scream. Oliver was different; yes there were times he could be standoffish and cold. As a matter of fact when Barry first met him, he didn't understand why Oliver was so distant to him. Yes, he basically crashed Starling City under false pretenses but man the guy was cold. Oliver's jealous over Barry's connection with Felicity was clearly one of his issues, but hiding his identity as the vigilante was harder.

Then he knew who Oliver was and first went to him when he got his powers and Oliver quickly filled in the role of being his hands on mentor and a sort of big brother in terms of saving the city. Then he helped save Barry from Bivolo's whammy and stopped Digger Harkness and, and, and…

Oliver continued to do everything in his power to help Barry—even shoot some goddamn arrows in his back—and now it was all gone.

It hurt. His chest hurt. His head hurt. His heart hurt. Everything feeling, every emotion he thought he had compartmentalized after his mother's death came flying back full force. Sobs rose through him but he did his best to keep them at bay. Every time he opened his mouth to breath he could feel himself start to shake, feeling his throat thickening as the emotions threatened to spill out. Still, he forced it away. He couldn't do this. But he had to.

A tear finally made its way out of Barry's eye and he hastily wiped it away. He couldn't do this. Not right now. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Barry looked up to find Cisco standing next to him before he moved to sit in the chair opposite him. "I'm sorry man," Cisco apologized. "He was a great friend to all of us, but I know you've known him longer than the rest of us." He looked over at Caitlin as she sat down on Barry's other side.

"Do you know what happened?" She asked gently, pressing her hand over his wrist.

"Something about the League of Assassins," Barry mumbled in reply. He looked over at Cadence, who sat nearby, Brady's head resting in her lap, absentmindedly stroking his hair. "I don't…I'm not sure I understand…"

"I don't get it either," Cadence said. "Roy said he was trying to stop the League of Assassins from infiltrating the city and he went to take on Ra's al Ghul."

Barry brought his hands up and covered his face. He knew about Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins, Oliver had explained it to him the last time they had all been in Starling City. He knew about Sara's death, that Thea was behind it because of Malcolm Merlyn, how much Sara meant to Oliver and her background with him and her sister Laurel, how dangerous the League of Assassins were, their modes of operation, and what it meant for Starling City. If Oliver went after him, that meant Starling City was in grave danger where Oliver knew he had no choice but to put his life on the line in the best way possible.

"Oh God," he murmured. _Oliver, you did what you had to do. But why did you do it alone. I could've helped you._ He pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes, sniffling loudly.

"I'm sorry, Barry," Caitlin whispered.

"Yeah," Cisco agreed. "Sorry, man."

"Sorry, Barry," Brady whispered.

Barry nodded, continuing to hold his head down. But his mind was whirling a mile a minute. There had to be something he could do. He couldn't just sit in Central City and be told Oliver was dead. No. He had to go see for himself. He had to find him. There was no way Oliver would give up that easily, no way he would be taken down. He had to still be alive. He knew it. Oliver was still alive.

"I have to find him," Barry declared. He stood up. "I need to find Oliver."

"Where are you going to go?" Caitlin asked. "Barry, you don't even know where to start looking."

"I'll start in Starling," Barry insisted.

"We don't even know if his body is going to be sent back or if there's even a body left," Cisco pointed out. "You could be running around and around with no ideas of where he could be."

"I'll take that chance." Barry started to pace back and forth.

"What about the League of Assassins?" Cadence pointed out. She grabbed his wrist as he moved by her, holding him still. Her skin burned into his and Barry looked at her. He could see the pain reflected in her eyes. A different kind of pain, there was something else bothering her. Something Oliver's death was overshadowing. "If they managed to kill Oliver, they may kill you too."

"I need to take that risk," Barry said. He placed his hand over hers. "I can't live with myself if I don't."

"Do you plan on doing the same for the Reverse Flash?" Harrison's voice grabbed Barry's attention and he turned around to see the man in the wheelchair sitting quietly behind him. He had been silent since he broke the news to everyone in STAR Labs. Barry wasn't entirely surprised. Harrison hadn't approved of the vigilante in the first place, only having turned around when Oliver helped Barry with Bivolo. "I'm sorry about what happened to Oliver, but you can't let that take away your focus at the moment. Not even Snart and Rory."

"…What?" The word escaped Barry's lips in a surprised whisper.

"I can't have you turn your attention to another city and the problems there when there is so much more at stake over here," Harrison continued. "The Reverse Flash…there's more to him than we've thought. You've already seen that the last time you fought against him. He's made quick work of you and Cadence. We need to focus on taking him down, on furthering yours, Cadence's, and Brady's powers. If there's going to be something to stop the Reverse Flash you're the key to it and we can't have your head somewhere else."

"Dr. Wells," Caitlin said slowly.

He held up his hand, keeping her from saying any more, eyes on Barry. Barry's mouth dropped open. Did he hear correctly? He was expected to give up on Oliver for….for something that was just as important? He had never been so conflicted in his entire life. Save his friend or save his city with his mother's memory and his father's future attached?

Barry turned back to his friends and they watched him, to see what he would say. He ran his hands over his face and into his hair, scrubbing his scalp. His head was telling him one thing but his heart was telling him another. Unfortunately he knew which one he had to listen to.

"Alright," he finally said. "I'll stay here."

Harrison nodded, crossing his arms. "Right now we have to work on your speed," Harrison said. "We need you to get faster. And there's only one way we can do that."

Cisco turned his gaze to Harrison. "We get to use the drones?"

"Yes, Cisco," Harrison said with a smile. "We get to use the drones."

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, now we get an idea of what Barry's feeling with the news of Oliver's death. I was hoping we'd get something like this for the show but since we didn't, I put it here. Coupled with Cade's being kicked out of residency it's not a good time for Team Flash. Especially with the Reverse Flash and Snart and Mick around.

But don't worry; I have some lighthearted moments coming in as well. I am working on bringing in Iris and Eddie more, as well as a surprise character to be thrown in the mix at some point. As well as I have to show more of Cade's family and her time back in Metropolis.

What'd you guys think of the chapter? And is there any characters you'd want to see a bit more of?

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	19. Possession

**.:19:.**

* * *

"Gideon," Harrison said, crossing his arms. He paused for a moment, tilting his head to the side. If he was really going to do this, he needed to be sure he didn't allow his personal feelings to get in the way. This was science and the future and everything he needed to know. He needed to be prepared. "Do a future lookup of Burnout."

"Yes, Dr. Wells," Gideon replied. Harrison waited as newspaper clippings and web files shot across the wall in front of him. They scrolled around and around and his eyes followed each and every one until they slowed to a stop. Placed in front of him was a picture of a young woman that looked like the weight of the world rested on her shoulders, despite her eyes being covered by a pair of goggles. Soot rested on her cheeks and her arm was thrust forward, shoving out an incredible ball of fire. "Burnout is the alias for Cadence Nash, previously known as Flash Fire."

"Yes, yes, please get to it Gideon," Harrison insisted, lightly scuffing his foot.

"Burnout came to existence in 2020 after a significant loss of her morals and values in 2016 due to an unforeseen tragedy. Because of the unblocking of that anguish and rage within her, Cadence succumbed to the darker side of her fire powers coming into her abilities of Hell-Fire. With the chaotic element, she has succumbed to the control of her powers, taken up the mantle of Burnout, and is now considered too strong to contain. Her powers have completely taken her over."

"And what about The Flash?" Harrison questioned.

The newspaper image he was used to came up in front of him once more. _Flash Missing: Vanishes In Crisis_ continued to coat the headline. Harrison ran a hand over his mouth. He nodded, taking a step back. Okay. The same thing he had always seen before. And yet he was still getting nothing about the Black Flash. Irritation surged through his body, mixed with a sense of relief. It was hard, feeling both emotions at the same time, battling each other as they had a tendency to do. Bringing his hands up, Harrison scratched his forehead then ran his hands though his hair.

"Okay, okay, okay," he whispered under his breath, starting to pace back and forth. He ran his hands over his face once more, displacing his glasses, and then replaced them. He turned back to Gideon and waved a hand. "Thank you, Gideon. That's all for today."

"You're welcome, Dr. Wells."

Harrison turned away from Gideon and walked over to his wheelchair. He sat down and whirled it around, navigating his way out of the room. The door slid shut behind him, forming the metallic wall once more. If anyone walked by, no one would be able to see the room; no one would be able to find it. That's just the way he wanted it.

Now if only he could figure out a way to alter the future. There were some things he needed to happen, others he couldn't have happen and it was starting to weigh on his conscience more and more as the days went on. How was he supposed to deal with his plans, all of his hard work, when there was a significant part of him tearing it down one by one? He hadn't expected it to show up, the thoughts that questioned what he was doing, much like a second voice in the back of his head, had never been there before. Not until he lost Tess, not until he threw himself into his work. It was there every now and then, much like big brother was watching him. But it grew once the Particle Accelerator blew and he got to know Barry, it grew even further once Cadence came back into his life and he had to keep his parentage a secret from her. Now that she knew, it was almost a daily occurrence.

Whenever he had a thought of determination, one of stubbornness as he wasn't going to allow anything to get in his way, that voice would remind him what scientists were really supposed to do; share, invent, thrive, and that he wasn't doing any of that. He would push the voice away as much as he could but now it was a second part of him.

He wasn't sure how much more of it he could stand.

Harrison maneuvered his wheelchair through the winding hallways towards his office. He needed to write down his findings before he forgot them. So he knew what to expect when the time came. So he could create an idea of how to fix it.

"Harrison?"

Harrison turned around and smiled, feeling his body fill with happiness when he found Cadence behind him. She smiled back at him, lowering her head for a moment. Throughout the past few months their relationship grew. She and Brady went to Harrison's place for dinner and visits of just dropping by so they could get to know each other better. She slowly told him everything she had gone through from the time she had left Metropolis and first moved to Central City, first living in a women's shelter before finding someone to help her gain emancipation and access the money her mother and father had been holding from her, to landing on her feet and continuing her schooling. She explained how she was able to take college classes with a young child due to the nursery that was available within the school. When that wasn't an option or she had a later class she would bring Brady with him, where he would usually sit quietly on the floor with a book, her iPhone, or whatever books she brought along with her. (Though that wasn't to say he didn't get fussy at times and was found to climb around the classroom without a care in the world as other students smiled, laughed, and watched and Cadence wanted to die from embarrassment. By the grace of God, her professors were very accommodating when the time came).

In turn, Harrison spoke about his life with Tess; how they met, right down to the day and time, how they continued to date though he was a bit inept to really know she was interested in him, their personal studies, their life work together, their marriage, how they met her parents and became friends. They also briefly spoke about Tess's death and her funeral and their decision to give her up for adoption. Neither of them would say they were as close as any father and daughter would be but they were working on it.

"Yes, Cadence, what can I do for you?" Harrison smiled back at her.

"Caitlin and Cisco are ready with the drones to test Barry on his speed," she said. Her blue-green eyes shifted as she tilted her head to the side. "What are you doing all the way over here?"

Harrison briefly wondered if she saw him come out of his secret room then realized if she had, she would've said something. "I was getting myself some exercise." Cadence walked over behind his chair and grasped the handles, moving him in the direction of the Cortex. "I don't know if you're noticed, but my legs don't really work so I find myself wheeling around aimlessly so I can at least get some sort of a workout with my arms."

Cadence laughed lightly. "That's not dwelling on your problems," she said sarcastically. She paused for a minute. "Is your paralysis really permanent? Have you ever thought of doing physical therapy?"

"Are you suggesting that you do it for me?" Harrison replied.

"No. I was just saying you could get it done, to see if there's anything that may help your healing."

"Yes, well, considering my own practices within the sciences there seems to be more that I can do for myself rather than what others can do for me." Cadence made a humming sound and Harrison looked back at her with a smirk. "In other words, I don't particularly trust doctors to do more than what I can do for myself."

"What if you need surgery?"

"That's what I have you for."

"I can't perform surgeries, I can only…well, I can do what Caitlin does. But she's got that covered so there's really nothing for me to do here in STAR Labs."

Harrison reached up and patted Cadence's hand. "Don't worry, there's always something you can do. Everyone is valuable around here. Right now we're focusing on Barry's speed, but your control and Brady's new found abilities are just as important."

 _Important to everything I'm working for,_ Harrison thought. The two came back to the Cortex and watched as Cisco held onto a plank of wood and tried to talk Brad into kicking it. "You're not going to hurt yourself, what we're trying to do is make sure that you can phase your hands and feet through it."

"What are you doing?" Cadence asked as they came in through the door.

Cisco, hearing Cadence's 'mom voice' immediately dropped the plank of wood and jumped backwards. "I told you it was a bad idea," Caitlin said with a shake of her head. "We don't really have an idea of how we're going to test Brady's powers yet and I don't think having him break his hand is the best way to go."

"It wouldn't be the first time he's broken something," Cadence remarked, casting her son a look as he smiled innocently. "But it _would_ be the first time he's purposefully flung one of his body parts at a block of wood hoping he'd be able to phase his hand through it without knowing if he can."

Barry laughed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't think it really has anything to do with him wanting to figure out Brady's powers," he said to Cadence. "Last I checked he was going through a Karate Kid movie marathon."

"Those movies are classics and deserve to have the recognition they deserve," Cisco defended himself. Harrison let out a quiet sigh and Cisco immediately changed the subject. "But who wants to focus on that when we have drones that we need to start using, right?"

"Right," Harrison said. "Please pack up the van so we can get to…" Harrison blinked rapidly as there was a sudden gust of wind that battered against his eyes, causing them to tear, and ruffled his hair. Lifting his glasses, he wiped away the tears and replaced his glasses. "The Air Field."

"That is _so_ cool," Brady said.

"Don't encourage him," Cadence remarked.

Harrison chuckled under his breath and went to the holding bay of their vans. Once they arrived, Barry was leaning against the side of the van, looking through his phone as if he didn't have a care in the world. Harrison hoped that would change soon; if he lost his head now there wasn't he was going to be able to do against the Reverse Flash as Cisco dubbed him. With Cisco at the wheel, the group took the STAR Labs van out to the air field and Barry suited up in his flash suit as the others brought out all of the equipment needed to test Barry. Once it was all set up they started to run as many tests as they could with Barry's speed.

Harrison watched with a satisfied smile as Barry continued to run circles around the drones, setting them up and knocking them down over and over again. Unfortunately, as it always happened, Barry's ego got the best of him at one point and when Cisco pulled out another drone, he started to throw missiles at him as well. Barry underestimated the tracking of one missile and was blasted out of the air when he didn't move fast enough. Harrison grasped the arms of his seat when he saw another missile fly towards Barry, the Flash wasn't moving to get out of the way as the weapon continued to speed towards him.

"Run Barry," Caitlin murmured, running her hands over the binoculars that were in her grasp. "Why aren't you running away?"

"Move, man," Cisco murmured, slack-jawed as he held onto the control box that maneuvered the drones around.

Harrison swallowed hard, tightening his grasp on the arms of his wheelchair. Before he could stop himself, he started to lift his weight off the seat. He shifted his left foot to the cracked concrete beneath his wheelchair, ready to race out and grab Barry, to knock him out of the way before the missile could reach him. He couldn't let anything happen to him, not when there was so much that needed to be done. He needed to get his speed up, to get faster. Barry had been upset about it at first, having been called back from fighting Snart and Mick when he and Cadence could have gotten the upper hand. Harrison drilled into his head they had to make sure he was fast enough to deal with the Reverse Flash as he was the most important thing to deal with.

 _"Leave those two to the police"._

Barry wanted to protest, but he then shook his head and agreed with him.

Just as he should have.

"Why isn't Barry moving?" Brady asked.

His voice was filled with as much worry as the others. Then a gasp escaped his mouth as he slowly started to sink into the concrete. Cadence noticed and grabbed onto his arm, pulling him back out of the ground. That was something else they needed to figure out, what it was that made Brady's powers exhibit out of his control and then figure out how to control it. From what Harrison could see so far, it appeared to be when he was experiencing worry of some sort; the first time when he was stuck in a nightmare, this time because of his worry for Barry's well-being. He needed to run some more tests to be sure there was something within his DNA or molecular makeup after the Particle Accelerator explosion he wasn't missing.

"Come on, Tholly," Cadence murmured.

Harrison let out a sigh of relief when Barry leapt up toward the missile that was heading his way and grabbed onto it, shooting it back towards the drone where it blew up in a fiery blaze. Harrison slowly released his grasp from his chair and brought his foot back onto the foot rest, glad no one else saw his slip-up. It was the only time he was going to make that mistake, he couldn't do it again.

"Please don't ever scare me like that again, Barry," Caitlin said, tilting her head back as Barry walked back over to his friends. He sat down at the table that was set up and started to dig through the pile of Big Belly Burger that was waiting for him. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Good news is this would be the best place to have one," Cadence pointed out with a half smile as she crossed her arms. She barely paid attention to the wind that blew around them, causing the others to bury deeper in their jackets. "What with all of this equipment out here and everything." She turned back to Barry. "That was a close one with the missile though, thought I was going to have to run in and save you from turning into barbecue."

"Nah, it wasn't that close," Barry said. He smiled a charming smile. "I knew what I was doing."

"It didn't seem like it when you got hit by that first missile," Brady pointed out. He frowned, brushing his hair out of his face. "I know you're working this hard because of the Reverse Flash but it could help with Snart and Mick, too. They can shoot their guns pretty fast."

"Yeah, but the steams can only last for so long," Cisco pointed out. "As long as their fingers are on the trigger. The Reverse Flash can probably move faster than the signal of the brain moving the muscles in the fingers can." He shook his head. "If we can get an idea of how fast he can move—"

"—don't worry about that, I'm going to be faster than him," Barry insisted. He shook his head and started into his food once more. Harrison watched him but didn't say anything. He knew the young man was still thinking about Oliver, the news hadn't reached Starling City and he as sure it was because of the tie to the League of Assassins as well as Oliver's status as the Arrow. It wouldn't take too long for people to figure out the identity of the man if the eldest of the remaining Queens suddenly bit the dust as well.

To be honest, Harrison was curious of the validity of the man being dead himself. Oliver helped Barry just as much as he, Cisco, and Caitlin helped him. There were only so many people Barry could lose in his life before things sent him over the edge.

"I'm going to be faster than him, I'm going to make him pay for what he did to my mother, and I'm going to find Oliver," Barry said.

"If there's anything left to find," Cadence pointed out. She tilted her head to the side, nervously bringing her hair back out of her face. She hadn't reacted well with the news of Oliver's death either, they weren't close but it still hurt. She wasn't sure if she agreed with Barry's beliefs of him still being around as well not wanting to believe he was gone, but if it was the League of Assassins, as Roy and Felicity explained it, there wasn't much that could be done.

Barry had popped over to Starling City to get some sort of a report from them and when he came back, he was as sullen as before. Seeing the team missing their fearless leader must have shown him how real things were with what they were doing.

"He's alive," Barry insisted. "I just have to work hard to find him. I have to."

"Well, with the way you're working you're certainly heading towards improvement," Caitlin remarked. She turned her iPad around to show two graphs lined atop each other. "This was where you were a few months ago, this is where you are now. Your speed has certainly increased a lot, but it's still not where it should be. Your reflexes are amazing, though." She laughed as Cadence teleported from Brady's side of the picnic table, appeared by Barry long enough to grab to burgers, then teleported back to the other side, sharing her bounty with her son.

"Hey! Hands off my food," Barry cried through a full mouth.

"Oh please, there's plenty here and even you can't eat all of that," Cadence pointed out. "You'll just burn though it within the next ten minutes." She took a large bite of her burger after inspecting it. "Two missing burgers aren't going to kill you. Besides, I'm starving."

"From standing on the sidelines all day?" Barry shot back.

Cadence's eyes glinted with and invisible flame. "Just be glad I'm not out there with you, because I could beat you."

Brady smiled, looking back and forth between his mother and his friend.

"We all know you're stronger than him, Cade," Cisco pointed out. He tried to hide his smile as Barry rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "As a matter of fact, I have video proof of it. You don't need to remind him of it."

"I meant in speed."

" _What?!"_ Barry's voice cracked as he cried out in disbelief.

"Which part do you not believe? That I'm right or that I'm faster than you?"

"You can't run faster than me. I'm the fastest man alive."

"I can't _run_ faster than you, but I can _teleport_ faster than you," Cadence explained. She finished her burger and made a show of casually cleaning off each of her fingers. She nodded down the air field. "By the time you get down there I'd already be waiting."

Barry and Cadence looked at each other for a long moment before the two suddenly disappeared from sight. Caitlin whipped up her binoculars to see as far down the air field as she could. Harrison turned away. He didn't particularly care who was the faster of the two in that exact moment but it was something he should've thought about in the first place. Cadence certainly could not run faster than Barry's top speed or even come close to it, her teleporting having to aid him as she ran at his side. However it was something he should've thought of before.

 _Her teleporting is instantaneous,_ he thought. _To get her from one side of a room to the other within seconds is a very helpful skill. Depending on the distance she is probably right about being able to get somewhere faster than Barry can reach. And judging as she still holds a cap of the powers she is willing to exhibit after sixteen years of having and understanding her abilities. This is something we can probably use against the Reverse Flash, against Snart and Mick, not to mention the phasing ability Brady has. I don't know why I didn't think of it before._ Harrison rubbed his hands together. _Note to self, work on Cadence and Brady as much as possible._

A disgruntled sigh escaped Harrison's lips as his eyes widened once more when Barry and Cadence arrived back at the table, seemingly at the same time. As the group all started to talk at once, declaring Barry or Cadence the winner, Harrison smiled.

But it wasn't a warm, amused smile.

It was a smile of determination.

* * *

Mick held his breath, tapping his hands on the steering wheel of the idling car. His eyes shifted back and forth, keeping watch as Snart slowly and leisurely climbed out of the passenger seat and walked over to the warehouse door. Leaning forward, Mick glanced out the window, looking around for any security cameras or something that would tell him there was someone watching. But s Snart had said, there was no one.

Still, he couldn't sit still. Every nerve in his body was on fire, seconds away from triggering his movements. And yet he was designated to drive, so his orders were to do nothing more but sit behind the wheel and wait for his orders to move the car. Of course. He was never allowed to do anything by himself. He always had to have his orders given to him. Snart clearly didn't trust him and he wasn't entirely sure if he trusted Snart himself; the man was shifty in his own way, slow cold voice calculating everything around him.

Mick didn't work that way. He worked like the fire; dangerous and unpredictable, a force to be reckoned with. But Snart didn't seem to be taking that so seriously.

Even as he watched, Snart continued to stroll to the door of the warehouse. Finally, he came to a stop and lifted his cold gun, shooting an icy blue ray out towards the door. Mick watched as ice hardened over the door, weakening the internal structure. The icy spray continued to increase in size until Snart finally pulled it away and climbed back into the car. Once Snart closed the door, Mick pressed his foot down onto the gas pedal and shot into the icy area, the front end of the car immediately blasting through it. Once inside, Mick slammed his foot on the break and climbed out of the car. He took in a deep breath of the musty air through his nose and looked around, grinning.

There it was. Central City's collection of some of the best cars he had ever seen. And they were going to get them all. Though there was one thing he wasn't really sure of that Snart didn't explain; how were they going to drive all of the cars out of there? As far as he was concerned he could melt them all down and make his own super car if he wanted. It would be of the best quality and still be as expensive. As a thief it was really all he cared about.

He caught Snart's eye, noticing the smirk that took up half his face. "Yeah, I get it. You were right and I was wrong." He rolled his eyes before turning to a car that was under a tarp nearby and pulled off the covering. He let out a loving sigh, running his hand over the cherry red color. "Oh this is so beautiful. I can't wait to have it."

"We're not taking anything, Mick, I already told you that," Snart said. He spun in a slow circle. "We're waiting for someone else."

Mick let out a loud snort. "Oh right. The Flash." He pointed over to Snart. "You seriously have a strange relationship with this guy. So he managed to give you a run for your money once before, why is it such a big deal? It's not like you haven't been caught by someone before."

"Because, Mick, there's always something that I'm not telling you." Snart lazily lolled his head to the side. "Which is precisely the point." He frowned, continuing to pace back and forth. Mick leaned against the car and frowned grumpily at the cars that sat around him. They were the best things he could ever potentially have and yet he couldn't touch them. And he wasn't sure why.

Glancing into the backseat of the car, Mick stared at the metal box that held his heat gun. He wanted to use it so badly but Snart had told him to wait. Always with waiting. Fire never waited, it took down everything in its path as it wanted. Mick was then shaken out of his thoughts as he felt a shudder run through the car. Realizing Snart had gotten back into the passenger seat; Mick leaned down and glared at Snart.

"What are you doing?"

"We need to get out of here, he's not coming."

Mick could've yelled in fury for having his time wasted, he could have slammed his hand atop the car to let out the pure rage that rumbled through his belly. Instead, he did as he always did and listened to Snart, ducking back into the driver's seat and slammed the door shut. He put the car into reverse and backed out of the hole they made, heading in the direction of the hideout he and Snart routinely frequented.

Once they arrived they went inside and Mick sat down in a nearby seat, staring straight ahead. He had to wrap his mind around what had gone on or he would lose control. Every now and then he would allow the fire inside him to grow too large, the flames dancing out of control and it was Snart would had to bring him back. His hazel eyes lifted to study Snart, who stood in the corner of the room, meticulously cleaning his cold gun. He was always messing with that thing. Mick trusted his gun; he knew it inside and out. It wasn't going to hurt him.

"Why did you pull us out like that?" He demanded, voice rumbling through his chest.

Snart looked up at him but didn't respond.

"What is it that you want with the Flash? He may not even be around. He could be dead."

"He's not dead," Snart finally said. "Trust me, with all of the news reports and the praises he gets in the media, he is certainly not dead." He closed a side compartment on his gun and looked it over. "Not yet, anyway." He turned his cold gun back and forth. "This time we're going to make absolute sure we get his attention."

"With?" Mick demanded.

"A portrait. The richest couple in Central City is flying home with a priceless painting, worth millions and millions of dollars. And we're going to go get it." Snart smiled, running his finger along the side of the gun. "That is…if things go out the way they're supposed to."

Mick let out a loud growl and stood up, brandishing his heat gun at Snart. His eyes narrowed when he found Snart was pointing his cold towards him as well. He should've seen it coming. Snart was always one step ahead of him. But he certainly hadn't thought the fire metahuman was going to be as strong as she was. She mesmerized him; really, the way she had such control of her flame was enticing. She wasn't afraid of it like many others were, like those that continued to run away from it at high speeds in case of burns. She didn't expect her to be as afraid of it.

 _Just what any guy would want,_ Mick thought. He slowly started to smile, lowering his gun. Maybe this was something he could use to his advantage as well. "When are these people supposed to be coming in?"

Snart looked at his watch. "Right now. It was only a matter of time until things started to fall into place. Let's just hope the Flash pays close attention to his precious city and that this last thing was just a fluke."

* * *

"So we need to figure out what cake you want for your birthday," Cadence remarked, picking up a cook book and flipping through the pages. She turned around to Brady as he sat by the kitchen table, finishing up some homework. "And what other kinds of food you want to have for your party."

Brady wrinkled his nose. "But we're going to the circus; won't we eat a lot of food there?"

"Maybe, but I'm hoping to try and _save_ money this time so I think we should do the party with cake and presents here, and then go to the circus." Cadence closed the book and placed it aside. She took Brady's lunchbox and started to unpack the Tupperware from inside. "So how do you feel about Ryder coming to your party?"

"Fine, I guess." Brady shrugged. "You're the one that has a problem with him." Cadence lifted her gaze to him and he immediately balked. "But you had a good reason." He sucked his lips into his mouth. "Why _did_ he leave, anyway?"

"He didn't want to, his parents made him leave," Cadence said. "So I guess in that case, they made sure he didn't have contact with us either. He really did want to be around for you, you know."

"So why are you still mad at him?"

Cadence paused. She hadn't really thought about it. Ryder had overbearing parents like she did, and they made a decision for him as well; they forced him to go away much like she was forced to go away by her own parents. So why _was_ she still punishing him over it? She didn't have any ill will towards him and he clearly didn't have any towards her, but the two were very awkward when around each other, unsure of what to do or say. "I'm not sure," she said honestly. "I guess I haven't really thought about it." She turned her attention back to his lunchbox, pulling out a plastic baggie with orange sticks in it. "Why didn't you eat your carrots?"

"I don't like carrots," Brady replied.

"So?" Cadence sniffed them once then recoiled when she noticed they were starting to smell. They quickly went into the trash can. "You still have to eat them."

"But I don't like them," Brady insisted.

"I don't care!" Cadence shot back. "I bought them and I'm not going to waste money on food you do or don't want to eat."

With an exaggerated groan, Brady leaned forward and rested his forehead in the middle of his book. "Ugh, you're killing me."

"Oh my God, Brade, don't be so dramatic." Feeling her phone buzz in her pocket, Cadence pulled out her phone and glanced at the text Caitlin sent her. **S.O.S. Snart and Mick are at it again. Get here fast!** Cadence shoved her phone back into her pocket. "Something's going on at STAR labs that I have to help out with." She hesitated. "Do you think you can handle being here by yourself for a little while?"

Brady, recognizing the seriousness in his mother's voice, nodded. Cadence gave him a kiss on the forehead and started to text a reply to Caitlin. **Be right there.** "Is it Snart and Mick?" Cadence nodded. "Be careful."

"You got it."

Cadence teleported to STAR Labs where she found her friends all huddled around a computer screen. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Captain Cold and Heat wave are going after a priceless painting," Cisco explained, his eyes trained onto the computer screen that locked down the exact location of the heist. "The police are already on their way there."

"Heat Wave?" Cadence repeated.

Barry turned to her with a nod. "It's what he's calling Mick. Because of the fire that he can shoot out form his heat gun it's as if he's creating a heat wave."

"And I get Flash Fire?"

"We can talk about your unneeded aversion to a perfectly good nickname later," Caitlin remarked. She turned away from the computer and faced the two metahumans. "What are we going to do about these guys?"

"Barry's going to stay here," Harrison said, finally backing away from the computer. "This isn't what he's supposed to be focused on. We need him to deal with the Reverse Flash." He turned his attention to Cadence. "Let's let Flash Fire handle this one."

Cadence felt a thrill of excitement shoot through her stomach. This was the first fight she was going to do on her own since leaving the Assassination Bureau. She could understand the hesitancy of doing it before; they still weren't sure what the effects of her powers from the Particle Accelerator explosion in case she lost control, and she wasn't sure if Barry trusted her yet.

"What?" Barry asked. He shot a concerned glance Cadence's way. "No way. Let me handle this."

"I believe Cadence is perfectly equipped to handle this situation," Harrison calmly insisted. "A bit of an advantage, actually."

"No. No. I've handled Snart before, I can handle this," Barry continued.

Caitlin stood up and crossed her arms. "Barry, why don't you want Cade to do this?"

"Because," Barry said. He faltered for a second. "Because she can get hurt."

"I can get hurt doing a lot of things, Barry," Cadence said. She felt her temper spike in an instant, her body becoming warm. If it were easy for her to blush she was sure her entire body would be as red as a lobster. "Don't make me out to be something that's weak. You _know_ I can handle myself. If I could take you down when you were whammied, I think I can take down two thieves with a gun."

"A _heat_ gun and a _cold_ gun. We don't know what can happen if you get hit with any of those things."

Rubbing his chin, Cisco nodded. "He has a point. How hot can your flame get, Cade?"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Cadence smiled. "Oh, the many ways I can interpret that question," she said. Then her smile faded and she scratched the side of her head. "I don't know for sure, I've never had a reason to test it. I can burn through metal, turn it into liquid."

"Then that's pretty hot, I'm not sure how hot compared to Heat Wave's gun because that can go to absolute hot. But Dr. Wells is right, Barry, she does have a bit of an advantage here. She wouldn't be taken down by the heat of the flames, and maybe she can take out Captain Cold's gun."

"We don't have any other choice, Barry," Caitlin said. Barry continued to shake his head. "You know that."

Cadence stepped in front of Barry and forced him to look at her. "Look, I understand that with the things I've done with the Assassination Bureau, with the things I've done to _you,_ you might not trust me. In fact, I don't blame you if somewhere deep inside you still don't. I can barely look at myself in the mirror and not see the things I've done. But Central City is as much my home as Metropolis is, and if there's someone or some _thing_ threatening it and everyone that lives here, then I'm going to do something about it. I'm _sorry_ , but I can't go back and change that now. All I can do now is make amends by what I can do for this city and for you guys." She took a deep breath. "And you can't tell me what I can and can't do. I'm doing this."

She turned to change into her suit, but was stopped by a hand placed on her wrist. Turning back to Barry, Cadence eyed him, ready to be told why she was wrong, why she wasn't _really_ part of Team Flash, why she couldn't handle it. Instead, he smiled at her.

"I do trust you," he said. "Good luck."

Cadence smiled, nodded, and changed into her suit. She walked out to the cortex, lifting her goggles from her neck and fastened them over her eyes. "Cisco, how are away are the police?"

"A few minutes, but these guys are moving fast," Cisco called back. "You're going to have to, too."

"You got it." Cadence cracked her knuckles and teleported down into the warehouse. She crouched down behind a car in time to watch Captain Cold and Heat Wave storm out behind a fleet of cars towards a jet plane that sat in the middle of the hangar. A wealthy looking couple raced aside as they started to wave their guns around.

"Don't mind us!" Captain Cold called. "We just want your priceless painting." He turned around as there was the sound of police sirens drawing closer.

Cadence continued to kneel down behind the car, waiting for her time to strike. Even beneath her gloves she could see the glow of her inner flame start to run down the veins of her arms to her fingers. She tapped into her power source, ready to use it when the time came. Police cruisers pulled up to the outside of the hangar and screeched to a halt, turning the thieves' attention their way.

"Freeze!" Joe shouted as he raced forward, gun drawn.

"I thought you'd never ask," Captain Cold said. He let out a sinister laugh, turning his gun their way.

 _"What are you waiting for?"_ Cadence could hear Cisco cry in her ear. " _They're going after Joe and the others."_

" _Give her time, Cisco,"_ Harrison said, his voice as calm as ever. " _I'm sure she knows what she's doing."_

 _"Be careful, Cade,"_ Caitlin said.

Cadence nodded, though she knew her friends couldn't exactly see her, and threw her hands out. Her manipulation had worked better than she thought it would. Sending a wave of smoke over the ground, Captain Cold and Heat Wave's attention was taken away from the police. Cadence darted out from behind the car she was crouching behind and sprinted towards the two men. She leapt high into the air and teleported so that when she popped up again it was right in front of Captain Cold, her momentum carrying her forward and she struck him in the chest with her foot. Landing on the ground, she spun on her heel and caught Heat Wave on the side of the head, knocking him over.

Standing up straight, Cadence turned towards the CCPD and looked Joe in the eye. He looked back at her, gun still drawn, and nodded at her. She nodded back. Then his eyes shifted and he cried out. "Look out!"

Instinctively, Cadence teleported before she could see what was going on and appeared behind Captain Cold and Heat Wave once more. She gave a sigh of relief when she realized Captain Cold had started to shoot a blast from his cold gun her way. As she teleported, the CCPD rolled out of the way, dodging the blast themselves. Heat Wave then followed it up with a spray of his heat gun, causing them to retreat. Captain Cold turned around to face Cadence, tilting his head to the side.

"Oh, it's you," he said, voice filled with dismay.

"It's _you_ ," Cadence shot back.

"You're not The Flash."

"The name's Flash Fire." She took a step towards them. "I think that's good enough."

"Not for me," Captain Cold said dismissively. "I only work to fight against the Flash. This battle has no merit to me." He smirked over at Heat Wave, who stood transfixed, staring at Cadence. "I think you'll want to deal with this guy yourself. It might make for some interesting conversation. Maybe a _spark_ will grow between you two." He lowered his cold gun and Heat Wave started to stride towards Cadence, his gun raised.

Cadence watched him come closer, and then she had enough. She teleported behind him and with her forward momentum, did a cartwheel so that her feel struck him on the back of the head. He whirled around and shot a blast of fire towards her, which she ducked under, rolled across the ground in a somersault. He turned after her and Cadence raced towards the wall she now faced, ran up it, flipped over Heat Wave and kicked him again, sending him into it. Instead of getting angry, he turned around and laughed, grinning at her.

"Got a feisty personality to go along with that fire of yours," he murmured. "I like that."

"Let's see if you like this!" Cadence shot a stream of fire to Heat Wave's feet. It started off as a small spark then increased in size as it arched towards Heat Wave. He lifted his gun and shot a blast right back at her, cancelling out her blow. _Dammit! That really is hot!_ Cadence clenched her teeth and started to send wave after wave of fire towards him, which he continued to counter with his own gun. Disgruntled, she started to teleport around, but Mick seemed to have his eyes trained on her for every place she teleported to he would follow her and cancel out her attacks.

"It's beautiful isn't it?!" He shouted as they continued their dance. "The power of the flames?"

Then he held his finger against the trigger and started to walk steadily towards her. Cadence created a shield of fire and held it in front of her, walking backwards as Heat Wave continued to walk towards her. His sadistic grin grew as the heat of the flames enveloped the two of them. Cadence's eyes started to tear, blurring her vision. It was hot. Hotter than hot. She could handle most increasing temperatures but the combination of their powers was making it hard. Every few seconds she felt a sting on her exposed arms and legs, embers singing her skin. She could see tiny streams of smoke coming from Heat Wave's jacket sleeves, a smoldering spot on his shoulder, though he continued straight towards her.

"The fire can make you see your true self," Heat Wave continued. "This is my true self. What's yours?"

Cadence fell to one knee and closed her eyes. She focused on the power source inside her. She managed to use it to her advantage once before, with Mindboggler and Stratos. Hopefully she could do it again. Cadence opened her eyes as her vision started to blacken, as if smoke swirled in front of her eyes. Her eyes started to burn much like the fire around her and her shield increased in size and power. She pressed forward and Heat Wave let out a cry of surprise, stumbling back away from her at the sudden surge of power against him. Cadence flipped forward onto her feet and with screams of effort and anger, shot blasts of fire towards Heat Wave, some shooting just over his shoulders and by his head, others striking him.

Heat Wave screamed in rage and started to charge towards her once more. Eyes transfixed in a psychotic stare down. Cadence slammed the sides of her hands together and the flames surrounding them changed colors from a yellow to orange to red to blood red, the blood red shifting to an angry deep maroon as the seconds passed. The flame then extended into a bow and arrow made of flames. She pulled back the arrows in the bow with quick succession and hey whizzed forward, striking Heat Wave in the arms and legs, slowing him down.

She raced forward once more and did a high jump kick, knocking him in the chest and throat. She landed on the ground and moved forward, grabbing Heat Wave around the neck with her hands, squeezing as hard as he could. He didn't struggle, and merely looked up at her with a dream-like expression on his face as she continued to squeeze, her arms shaking with the effort.

All of a sudden Cadence was overwhelmed with a cloud of dust and dirty flying into her face. Instinctively, Cadence breathed back and the dirt went flying down her throat, choking her. Coughing, she backed away from Heat Wave, the flames dying down from her hands. She fell to her knees, bringing a hand to her throat. Captain Cold's boot came out of nowhere and struck her in the stomach. The force of the hit was so hard that she flew across the hangar and crashed into a nearby parked car. A grunt escaped her lips as she fell against the car and slumped to the ground. She couldn't move. The dirt combined with the blow had taken the air out of her lungs. She struggled to breathe.

She heard footsteps coming her way and looked up to see Heat Wave kneel down in front of her. He brought out his large hand and gently, almost delicately pushed her hair off her forehead, making her tremble under his touch. She tried to push herself back away from him or pull in enough energy to teleport but still found herself unable to move. Heat Wave moved his hand under her chin and stroked her cheek with his thumb in a lover's touch. He used his other hand to stroke down the side of her face then grasped her goggles. Cadence struggled to pull away but he had a firm grip on her face. Heat Wave pulled the goggles away and looked down into her face.

"Beautiful," he repeated the word from before. "Mine."

A shot fired, ringing off against a back wall, making Heat Wave jerk, but tighten his gasp on Cadence's cheeks. She was sure she would bruise.

"Mick, we don't have time for this!" Snart called. "Let's go!"

Heat Wave dropped Cadence's head and she slumped to the ground. She took in a deep breath, suddenly finding herself able to breathe, and watched as Captain Cold and Heat Wave made their getaway. She looked over towards the CCPD, who raced into the hangar to check on the status of the wealthy couple.

Cadence clenched her hands into fists and teleported back to STAR Labs. As soon as she arrived she was pulled into Caitlin's whirlwind of being checked out, though performed some of the tests on herself, to aid in the process. She even went as far as to press her finger against the end of a thermometer to get her temperature so that she didn't accidentally have the instrument shoved down her throat in Caitlin's haste.

"Can you heal yourself?" Caitlin asked anxiously as Cadence gently kicked her legs back and forth, sitting on the end of the examining table. "I know you can heal other people but…"

Cadence rubbed her neck, already feeling the tight muscles loosen. Her back was going to be bruised for a while, her shoulders ached, and she felt the crushing feeling of disappointment weigh her shoulders down. "Maybe," she mumbled. "I've never done it."

"Why?"

Cadence gave her a funny look. "Because it'd look weird if I went to the hospital with a bruised rib that's gone within the next few seconds. It's why I don't let anyone look at my medical records." Her eyes shifted. "Amongst other reasons." She tried to laugh, but found her entire body seize with pain as she did so. "Ow."

"You almost had him." Cisco shook his head, arms crossed. "You would have had him if Captain Cold hadn't caught you off guard." He slapped himself on the forehead. "Dirt. I should've seen it coming. He was smothering your flames."

"It's no one's fault, Cisco," Harrison reassured him. "No one thought they'd have the chance to get so close."

Cadence shook her head. "So they know who I am."

"They know what you look like," Harrison corrected her. "Not who you are. That's something that we can still hope they don't ever put together. But it is unfortunate they've managed to figure out your identity. If Snart is as smart as we think he is…that may not be good."

"What does that mean for Barry?" Caitlin asked. She chewed her lower lip in worry. "We're all around him all the time. Do you think they'll figure it out by process of elimination?"

Harrison smiled. "Certainly not. Because they don't realize _our_ Barry is _their_ Flash. The way they act and react are different. For now we're all still safe." He reached out his hand and placed it on Cadence's. She allowed him to hold his hand until he ran his thumb over it, causing her to shudder and back away. " _You're_ safe," he repeated.

Cadence nodded. Then she frowned. "Where's Barry?" _Probably couldn't stand watching me screw up so badly._

"He went to go see that Joe was okay," Caitlin said. She tilted her head to the side. "Are you going to be?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Cadence slid down from the examining table, slipping her arm around her best friend's waist. "Thanks for patching me up, Dr. Snow."

"You're welcome, Dr. Nash, Caitlin replied. She smiled and the two hugged tightly, Caitlin being careful not to press too hard as she rubbed Cadence's back. When they pulled back, Cadence smiled at her and nodded. "Go get some rest, you really deserve it."

"With an eight year old whose birthday is coming up, I'm probably not going to get any," Cadence joked. "I've deserved time to rest since I was sixteen." She chuckled. "I'll see you guys later." Cadence teleported to her apartment and flopped down on the bed.

The second she curled up into a ball she was fast asleep.

* * *

Zig-zagging through the streets of Central City, Barry made his way to Cadence's apartment. He needed to see her after he stopped by to see Joe. He hadn't expected it to be as much of a trap as it was, and the CCPD were not prepared, especially since Barry hadn't gotten a chance to warn Joe about Mick Rory, Snart's new accomplice. He was just glad no one had gotten hurt.

Finding the fire escape that led up to Cadence's apartment, Barry headed up to it and ducked in through the window without looking first. "Hey Cade, I came to see if you were…" Barry looked over at Cadence as she turned around in mild surprise, holding her shirt in her hand. His eyes widened when he realized she stood before him in only her bra and a pair of shorts. She didn't seem too worried about it and continued to slowly work the shirt over her head.

Barry blushed and turned away, running a hand over the back of his head and neck.

"Well," Cadence said with a light lift to her voice. "If you came by a few moments earlier you certainly would've gotten a show."

"I'm sorry, I should've knocked or something."

"No need to apologize Barry. I have a son and I'm a doctor. Nakedness doesn't embarrass me." She paused, bobbing her head. "Other than that time at STAR Labs. That just caught me by surprise; I've never actually tried to set myself on fire before."

"Hopefully not on purpose," Barry joked. He smiled when Cadence laughed.

"No, definitely not on purpose."

Barry turned back around, frowning when he noticed the subdued tone to her voice. "I know I'm really busy with my speed and everything, I came by to see that you were okay." He eyed the bandage wrapped around her shoulder that peeked out from the neck of her off the shoulder shirt. It looked good on her, he noted. Probably able to keep restricting clothes from irritating the area, too. " _Are_ you okay?"

"As okay as I can be I guess," Cadence said. She paused for a moment. "During our fight, Mick got my goggles off. He and Snart know what I look like."

"I know," Barry said. "The others filled me in. I'm sorry, Cade."

She shrugged. "Don't be. I was the one that said I could handle things myself."

"And you did, none of us could know that Captain Cold was going to catch you off-guard like that. He's really good at that."

"I noticed that, too."

Cadence turned on her heel and walked out of her room. Barry followed her into the kitchen where she pulled out two cartons of ice cream and a couple of spoons, handing one of each to Barry. He fidgeted with them in his hands as the two went into the living room and sat down on the couch. He watched as Cadence winced and grimaced, slowly sinking into the cushion. Finally, she relaxed and started to dig into her food.

"They were setting the trap for you, though," Cadence said after a few minutes of the two sitting in silence. "Whatever it's, Captain Cold really has something against you."

"Yeah…" Barry smacked the frozen treat with the back of his spoon. "This isn't the first time we've run into each other." And he explained the entire story of Captain Cold; the first time they met, how he had killed an innocent person, how he had tried to do the same with a train full of people, and how he had been scared off. "I think he was embarrassed that we tricked him so easily and now he's trying to get revenge on me. I should've known he would've worked with Mick. The last time they worked together, the last time Snart was arrested; Mick got caught up in a fiery blast and got badly burnt. But he escaped the ambulance and ran off." He took a bite of ice cream and set the carton aside, bringing his hand up to his neck once more.

"Does your neck hurt?" Cadence asked. He shrugged. He hadn't really noticed if it hurt or else it was a nervous habit. "It wouldn't surprise me if it did; you hold all of your tension in your shoulders." She shook her head. "That's not good for the way you heal yourself. It means you have some scar tissue down in there."

Surprised, Barry lowered his hand from his neck. "How'd you know that?"

Cadence shrugged modestly. "I was going to be a physical therapist before I switched to going for the pediatrician track. Actually, Harrison suggested that I go into it, to help around at STAR Labs more. I mean, I could always be Caitlin's assistant with her medic work, but you know how she can get with the whole thing."

"Frighteningly motherly?" Barry guessed.

Cadence laughed and nodded. "And I thought I was bad."

"Yeah, but you're a really good Mom, Cade," Barry insisted, knowing how much she always worried about it. "And don't worry about the CPS; they wouldn't be dumb enough to take Brady from you. Anyone with eyes can see you're taking care of him."

"It's not that." Cadence frowned. "Brady was asking me earlier why I'm so mad at Ryder. And I didn't realize until today that I'm not. Not really. Not anymore. He had the same problem I did, where we found that our parents really did rule our lives. _They_ were the ones that made him abandon me and _my_ parents were the ones that made me leave Metropolis. Ryder paid back all of the child support I should've had and he's going to Brady's birthday party. _And_ he watched Brady when we had to go face these guys the first time. I don't know, I'm just a little anxious of him getting to know Brady; the kid talks a mile a minute, but he can be pretty shy sometimes. I don't expect having his powers and now being able to get to know his Dad is going to be easy for him.

Barry couldn't stop himself before he asked, "What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You and Ryder, I mean…are you going to try things again…?"

She looked surprised. "No. Definitely not. Not on my end, anyway. I don't have any feelings for him. I mean." She sighed heavily. "Do I love him as a person? Yes. I dated him since I was thirteen; I liked him since I was twelve. I was in love with him. I'm not anymore. I'm going to love him for the rest of my life because we shared something special. But I'm not _in_ love with him. And I'm always going to. But as a boyfriend, as a husband? No. He's always going to be Brady's father, though, and I have to respect that. So I guess I need to let them hang out more."

"And Ryder?" Barry pressed.

"He'd say the same thing," Cadence said after a moment of hesitation. "In fact, I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, he said the same thing to me when I ran into him around Christmas," Barry said. "I was just wondering how you felt about the whole thing." Cadence gave him a curious glance and he rushed to explain. "I-I meant, y-you know, it can't be easy, is all."

"It's not," Cadence admitted. She reached out and patted his knee. "But thanks for being there so I could talk to you."

"I thought I could return the favor, you gave me that chance when we first met. To find another metahuman that I could talk to. You know…before everything else happened."

"I know."

Barry smiled and made quick work of the rest of his ice cream, though Cadence made light work of hers. She could barely move without making a face. "Does it hurt that bad?" He asked.

In response, Cadence reached up and pulled down the collar of her shirt. Barry hesitated, his eyes shifting for a moment, in the opposite direction he was supposed to look. Then he leaned forward and peered down the back of her shirt. Where her bandage ended he could see a large bruise taking up the most of her back. It was no wonder she was in pain.

"Am I interrupting something?" Barry quickly backed away as Cadence calmly moved her shirt into place. He looked over to find Brady standing in the doorway, his arms crossed as he looked back and forth between the two. "You're supposed to be resting," he finally said to his mother, walking to her. His voice was slightly accusing, but Barry could see it was more because he was missing out on ice cream than anything else.

"You don't call eating ice cream resting, bud?" She asked him.

"No." Brady sat down on the couch in between Barry and Cadence. "Not unless you share." He smiled as Cadence handed the carton to him and he took a mouthful of the frozen dessert. "What are you going to do about Snart and Mick?" he asked through a full mouth.

Barry sighed. "We don't know yet. But we'll think of something soon. We have to." He changed the subject, ruffling Brady's hair. "But on the plus side, at least we have something to look forward to. Excited about your birthday?'

"Yeah!" Brady smiled. "I can't wait to see the circus. And I want to see if I got that Xbox One I've been asking for since Christmas." Cadence rolled her eyes and shook her head, ignoring her son's statement. "But I want everyone to have fun, too. So I hope these guys are thrown in jail soon."

"You and me both, bud," Cadence mumbled around her ice cream.

"Don't worry, we'll get them. We'll work together to do it." Barry lifted his gaze above Brady's head and caught Cadence's glance. "I should've been there with you to face them today. None of this would've happened."

"It's alright, Tholly, you can't change what already happened, right?" She shared a secret smile with him and Barry smiled back. His gaze shifted down when Brady tilted his head back and looked between the two of them once more, this time a big smile on his face. Cadence noticed. "What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing," Brady said. He laughed when Cadence started to tickle him, repeating the question. "Nothing. I'm not laughing at anything." She continued to tickle him and Barry joined in on the onslaught. Brady laughed harder, squirming away from them. Finally, Barry and Cadence stopped their tickle torture and Brady curled up into his mother's lap. "You're going to be okay, Mom," he said confidently. "I promise."

"Thanks, bud."

Barry smiled at the two then turned his attention to his watch. "Oh, I have to get going. I just came by to see that you were alright." He got up from the couch. "Thanks for the ice cream. And I'm really sorry for what happened."

"Something tells me you're going to be sorry about a lot of things, no matter how many times I keep telling you that it's not your fault, Barry," Cadence said. "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I should've expected Captain Cold to do something. But don't worry, like you said, we'll figure something out. I mean with your brain, I don't know how we couldn't. We all have faith in you, Barry."

Barry nodded. He lifted his hand in a wave. "Bye guys," he said.

"Bye," Cadence replied with a bright smile.

Barry zipped out of the apartment the same way he had before, via the fire escape, and headed back to his apartment.

Everyone really did have faith in him. Caitlin, Cisco, Harrison, Joe, Cadence, and Brady. He should've known that.

He just needed a reminder.

* * *

 **A/N:** Wow, this was a really long chapter but woohoo, Cadence's first fight by herself and she didn't do so badly did she? And I've had some requests for more of Barry and Cade so here you go. And that's just the beginning.

So, some people have asked that I bring in more Barry/Cade scenes so here you go guys. I hope you liked it. It actually has been a long time coming since the last time I had them have a scene together was when Barry found out about Brady.

Wait until you see the next chapter, guys. There are a lot of things coming up in that one. Thanks for reading guys, let me know what you think.

Don't forget to check out my sisters' stories _In a Flash_ , on this account, and _The Mark of Sage_ on Crystal Manning's profile as we have an upcoming story called _Flashpoint_ that'll cross the three stories.

And thanks to _babyj, Ethan, and Josephguy217_ for reviewing.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	20. Jailed and Released

**.:20:.**

* * *

Barry rested his chin in his hands as he watched Joe and Iris move back and forth in front of him, packing up boxes and closing them with tape. Oh how he wished he could use his powers to make it move faster. Not only would it make everything go by that much faster, but then he would be able to get over the awkwardness of everything. Eddie was doing his best to keep from looking at Joe, Joe was doing his best to keep from remarking that Iris really was leaving, and Iris was trying to engage Barry in as much conversation as possible.

If she knew that Oliver had died and that was why she was trying to do it, he wouldn't be surprised. But no one was to know about that and she was probably just picking up on the fact that he hadn't spoken very much since he arrived to help out. How could he? What was he going to say? That he was too busy trying to run faster—which would've been a joke as it was, before he got his abilities he wasn't that athletic—and get over the death of one of his best friends and mentors?

 _Yeah, Barry, that'd go over well,_ Barry thought as he rolled his eyes. A sigh escaped his lips. _Where are you, Oliver?_

"Oh! Look!" Iris cried, reaching into a box. She pulled out a small, red and yellow backpack. Barry looked over at her and his eyes widened in recognition. "It's your old backpack!" She opened it and looked inside to find a couple of comic books. "And your Batman and Superman's." She leaned forward on her knees, holding it out to him. "You used to read these all the time."

"I haven't seen these in forever," Barry said, taking the comic books and running his hands over the front. All those nights he stayed up reading, holding a flashlight in his teeth so that he could use both hands to turn the pages. Every now and then he would hear Joe's footsteps to come up the stairs to check on him and Iris and he would click off the flashlight, throw his comic books under his pillow and pretend to be asleep only to go back to reading when he was sure Joe was gone once more.

"Remember how you used to get in trouble in class for reading so much?" Joe teased. With a light laugh, he turned to Eddie and gently nudged him on the arm. "The teachers actually got mad that he would read ahead in books, read when he was done with his work and read when he was t recess rather than play with the other kids."

"Joe." Barry looked up at him as if he had just been slapped, or as Iris called it, his puppy dog face. He rolled his eyes as Eddie chuckled to himself. "I'm sure you had your little quirks when you were a kid," he defended himself.

"Well," Eddie hesitated for a moment, placing his hands on his hips. "I was a bit of a chubby kid and my Dad wasn't very well liked, so there was a lot of reasons for people to beat me up. For a while I was very well known as a teacher's pet because I was bullied enough that I was always with them. Or others were constantly getting in trouble for it or they were—"

"Sweetie, I think we got the point," Iris remarked, reaching out her hand and patting his wrist. She smiled up at him. "But it's cute to know that you were kinda…chubby when you were a kid. Makes this fine specimen that I have now that much more appealing."

Barry's and Joe's faces twisted up into mirroring expressions of disgust. Then Joe took in a sharp breath and turned away from his daughter and partner. "I did _not_ need to hear that."

"And _that_ is why we're moving in together, Daddy," Iris teased her father. She stood up and wrapped her arms around herself, looking around the boxes that piled through the living room, up the stairs, and stacked by the door. "It's really weird…seeing the place like this. It's going to be weird not living here anymore."

"You know you and Eddie are free to come over whenever you like," Joe reassured her. He reached out his arms and wrapped them around his daughter, holding her tightly, patting her back every now and then. Barry smiled up at Joe, knowing he was doing his best to keep from letting his emotions show through. He was as much of a wreck about her leaving as Iris was. It was hard when Barry left to go to college then moved into his own apartment once he graduated, but this was his flesh and blood. "I'm going to miss you, baby."

"We're not going that far away, Dad," Iris reassured him. "It's only ten minutes, tops."

"Yeah, and you can come over to our place," Eddie agreed. He put his arm around Iris's shoulders and grinned up at his partner. "Just let us know that you're coming over." His smiled immediately faded and he cowered when Joe stared at him. "Or not…you can just…yeah you can come over when you like…or have a key…?"

Barry laughed a little. That was certainly one thing he wasn't going to get tired of. If there was anything Joe was really good at, it was intimidating people when he tried. Not only did he have the best record of getting suspects to confess things to the CCPD, but he seemed to make it his mission to do the same to his partner since announcing said partner was dating his daughter. It might've been a bit petty, but to see someone as confident as Eddie cower in fear whenever Joe was around was priceless.

"No? Okay. Well." Eddie looked around for any excuse to get out of the awkward situation. His eyes landed on a box and he moved over and picked it up. "Well, I-I'm just going to take his box and…and wait in the truck. Thanks for the help, Bare."

"Yeah, thanks," Iris agreed. She grinned up at her best friend—which to be honest Barry wasn't even sure he'd really consider her that anymore; they rarely spent time together as he was so busy with his duties as the Flash and she was busy with work and Eddie—and opened her arms for a hug. Barry grinned and walked into them, hugging her tightly. "I don't know how I would've been able to get all of this stuff done if it weren't for your help."

A chuckle escaped Barry's lips. "I don't know how much I did help. Joe did most of the work." He looked over Iris's shoulder as Joe gave him a look. They had to keep some stuff a secret if Barry was to help clean out Iris's room when she wasn't paying attention. "I'm going to miss you, Iris. It's not going to be the same coming here and not seeing you."

"What are you talking about?" Iris playfully hit him on the arm as they pulled back from the hug. "I'm still going to come here for dinner. I mean, you moved out and you're here all the time."

"Yes, well," Barry coughed. He rubbed the back of his neck. "That's because you can't get anything better than a home cooked meal."

"That's because _you_ don't know how to cook," Iris pointed out. She reached up and ruffled his hair. "I always told you if you needed something you could always just ask me. I'm a great cook and I don't mind teaching you."

"And have you laugh at me as much as you did when I tried to make birthday cake for Joe?"

"Yeah, I'm still feeling that one, too," Joe remarked, his hand on his stomach. "Thanks for that."

Now Barry laughed along with the others and hugged Iris once more. "If you ever need anything, let me know. I may be late getting there, but you know I'll be there." She smiled and nodded as they broke apart. Barry expected some sort of a tug of annoyance in his stomach, some sort of pang of pain, maybe even a damn lightning bolt coming through the ceiling and striking him. But he felt nothing. Not even a zip of jealousy. He frowned, taking a step away from her and watched as she picked up a box and followed Eddie out the door, waving as she went.

Joe waved, waiting for the door to close before turning back to Barry. He tilted his head to the side, studying him. "What?" He asked.

"What?" Barry repeated.

"What's with that look on your face?" He glanced at the door once more then turned back to Barry, pointing between the two. "I thought you would have been a bit more…I don't know, sad that she was leaving."

"Yeah…" Barry agreed. "I thought I would be too." He sucked in a deep breath, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "It's weird. Iris just moved out…moved into an apartment with Eddie…and I didn't feel anything. I've been in love with her for as long as I can remember and I don't care that he's gone." He shook his head. "Maybe that lightning strike scrambled my brain a little bit."

"Or maybe, Barry," Joe said slowly with a wise air about him. "You're not in love with her anymore."

Barry thought for a minute then opened his mouth to answer when his cell phone rang. He pulled out his cell phone and saw Cisco's name come up. "Hey Cisco, what's up? How'd the presentation at the CCPD go? Did they like the shields you made?"

"Yeah, yeah, it went fine," Cisco said quickly. "But you need to get here now. Something's happened to Cade."

* * *

Cadence's eyes fluttered as she straightened her head. A low groan escaped her lips and pain exploded in her head. For a moment she was sure Brady had landed on her head in his excitement to wake her up—over the years he had become very creative with doing so, though his favorite way was still to pull open her eyelids. Others included whacking her with a pillow, pulling the covers back and tickling the bottom of her feet, poking her with a broom, and slipping headphones over her ears and turning music up loud, each and every one resulting in hysterical laughter when she did. But no, this hurt much worse than getting jumped on by a hyperactive kid.

She really needed to see if she could heal herself just as quickly as she could heal other people or this was going to get old fast.

Then she remembered what had happened. She had just left the hospital to get her last paycheck, stepping out onto the sidewalk when she had seen a fist flying towards her face. Normally her paranoia would've been on point so that she could've ducked out of the way or at least teleported, but it had come so fast the next thing she knew she was waking up, tied to a chair. Shifting her hands and feet she found her arms and legs were bound at her wrists, upper arms shoulders, thighs, and calves were tied as well.

"Okay, I know some people have their kinks, but this is ridiculous," she muttered to herself.

"It's funny that you mention kinks because there is one that I certainly want to do and it has something to do with the Flash," Snart said as he walked over to her. Cadence mentally cursed herself, knowing it was a bad idea to have even left the house when she had just had her face revealed to him and his partner. _I messed up again,_ she thought, shaking her head. "Now…we know who _you_ are, I think it's fair that you tell us who the Flash is, too."

"As opposed to…?" Cadence questioned.

There was a sudden high-pitched whirring sound and Cadence found the barrel of his cold gun pressed against her forehead. Goosebumps immediately popped up on her skin at the subzero temperature of the barrel. If it was that cold from the tip of the gun alone, then the blast had to have been even worse. No wonder Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin were so against him and everything he stood for. Being able to freeze someone or something like that would have been terrifying.

"As opposed to seeing how long it takes for your fire powers to freeze," Snart said.

Cadence nodded. Then her eyes narrowed and shifted around the…wherever it was she was being held. It looked like a normal house…but at the same time it was much more extravagant than she thought any criminal would hideout in. Then again, nothing took their attention off anyone else than a good looking house where appearances were everything. It were times like these she wished she could've fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a Power Ranger.

At least that way she would've had a way of contacting the others with ease.

"So where's your partner?" She asked. "The pyromaniac?" Snart's eyes shifted to the side and Cadence turned her head, letting out a shriek and jerking backwards when she realized how close Mick's face was to hers. It wasn't entirely good to look at, but up close it was even more horrifying. Especially with that creepy grin that was reserved for psychotic clowns and Mother-In-Laws who pretended to like you, and those Mommy Bloggers who obsessed over making it seem like their lives were perfect. Unfortunately she had experience with all three. "Jesus! Give me a heart attack why don't you?" She was already starting to feel sick from her rapid heartbeat.

"Sorry," Mick mumbled. She reached out and smoothed a strand of hair off her cheek, his gaze burning holes in the side of her head. "Couldn't help it. I wanted a front row seat in case you tried to break out of those binds."

She had thought about it. But knowing these guys, knowing how elusive they were, and seeing as they had a lifetime of criminal activity, they were probably well versed in making sure their hostages didn't get away.

"So, let's chat for a minute, shall we?" Snart set up a chair in front of her. He sat down and looked directly into her eyes. He pushed back on his seat, leaving the back two legs on the floor and rocked, however he kicked his trigger finger steady on his cold gun. With each rock Cadence winced, feeling the gun press even further against her forehead. "The Flash aside, word on the street is you know everything about everyone in this city."

Cadence's eyes twitched. She was sure it was true considering how long Breathtaker had used her. "How'd you know that?"

"I hear things. Word gets around. Normally I don't listen much to words, but these words were interesting." Snart slowed, but didn't stop his rocking. "I'm very aware of the fire powers that you hold, as is my partner, Mick. As you and I can both tell he's taken a shining to you." Now Cadence's upper lip curled."I'm not saying you have to go out with the guy, frankly I wouldn't even give him the time of day if it weren't for the fact that I know how he operates." He brushed the barrel of the gun against her once more. "Now…how do you operate?"

"What do you mean?"

"What sort of things can you do with your powers?

Cadence shrugged and started to list off everything she could do starting from shooting fire from her eyes, to controlling the body temperature of others, to determining their being truthful from the change in their body temperature and perspiration. With each explanation Snart's evil smile widened. "Now what about heat seeking? Are you attracted to warm bodies? If you were in a room that was completely dark would you be able to see someone due to their body temperature?"

That stumped Cadence. She had absolutely no idea. As a matter of fact, her list of side effects and things she could do was much longer than things she couldn't do or didn't know she could do. _Now I get why Harrison is constantly pushing my abilities, to get me past the plateau. It's better to know what I can and can't do and how to use it rather than question it._

"Does the fire come from inside you?" Mick leered at her. "Or is it something you can't create yourself?"

Cadence leaned as far away from him as he could then shrugged to answer Snart's question. "No matter, there're other thing to figure out. Such as the wealth that you are so well known for. You know what…" Snart licked his lips. "I could use you." His eyes shifted to Mick as he let out a low growl. " _We_ could use you…for collateral. I'm sure by now The Flash knows you're missing."

A chuckle escaped Cadence's lips. "You wouldn't be the first one to tell me that." Her eyes shifted to Mick and then narrowed when he came close to her, tilting his head to the side. Now that she was getting a good look at his face, she was struck with how familiar it seemed. _I know I've seen him somewhere before…before having met him as Heat Wave. But where?_ "I know you," she murmured. "I've seen you…somewhere before."

Mick finally smiled. He leaned back away from her and pulled a lighter form his pocket. He lifted the lid and flicked out a flame. It twisted and danced as high as it could, taking on the oxygen around the room. Snart's and Mick's faces looked demonic as they flickered against the fire light. "You know the best thing about fire?" He asked. "The power it holds. It gets to the root of people and things and shows their true forms." He reached out with his other hand and ran it over the third degree burns that lined his shoulders. "The best part is when it takes down nature. You take it to its truest form and decides whether to continue to stay in its natural form or start all over again."

"Get to the point," Snart said with an edge to his tone.

Mick grunted at him and continued at his pace, almost mimicking Snart. "Burning wood is okay, you can watch it as long as you want. It can take forever for a house to come down, the best entertainment you can get. But if you want to watch something fast, you get a field full of crops. It spreads faster than a virus." He shrugged. "It's a good thing Millville is full of them…pure entertainment."

The connection fell with a sickening thud in her stomach, making her feel just as she had the first time she got drunk. "You were the one that set that fire," she murmured. "You were the one that set me up!" She started to thrash against her binds. "Wait until I get my hands on you!" A scream then escaped her lips as she felt the coldest, burning pain on her hand. Trembling, she looked down to find Snart had removed the gun from her forehead and blasted it with ice.

The three watched as it slowly started to melt away, steam coming up from the block of ice. Finally she clenched her hand into a fist as it burst into flames, reversing the casing it had been in. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found that she could still feel her fingers and move them as she had before.

"Huh." Snart cocked his head to the side. "I wonder what'll happen if I do this?"

Cadence screamed again as he then turned the gun to her feet and froze them. She could already fee her body temperature fluctuating, trying to take on its natural state of dropping then warming up once more. It was already starting to tire her out, pushing a lot of heat to one spot. Another relieved sigh escaped her lips when she reversed the damage, causing her to tilt her head back. Her eyes shifting to the rafters that sat above her. Those were too high…But when she lowered her gave a little bit she found one that wasn't so far off the ground that it would injure her. If she moved quick enough this should work though it might also make the chair burst into flames. She had managed to take people with her when teleporting but not objects.

It was worth a shot.

To Mick's and Snart's surprise a bright smile came to her face. "Not that this torture fest hasn't been interesting but this serious conversation is really grating on my nerves. You know what we could use?" She asked with extra amount of pep to her voice. Snart looked at her warily. "A cheer!" She blew her hair out of her eyes. "Of course this would be much better if I had use of my hands and feet, but I'll manage."

Realizing what she meant, Snart's lips pulled back into a half amused, half annoyed smile. "Goodie," he drawled.

"Let's get fired up!" Cadence started to cheer. "Hey, hey, hey. Let's get fired up! Do your best…MHS!" She repeated herself as Snart bobbed his head back and forth, waiting for her to finish. "Let's get fired up! Hey, hey, hey. Let's get fired up! Do your best…" She teleported, chair and all to the medium high rafter and threw herself off the top. Doing a flip in the air, she tucked herself in a ball and send out bursts of fire at her hands and feet, breaking the ropes that held her down. Then she unfolded and landed on her hands, doing a few front hand springs. "MHS!" She landed on her feet and lashed out at the last second in a high kick, striking Snart in the face and sent him spinning to the ground.

She then turned on her heel and did a butterfly kick, knocking Mick in the chest before he could bring his heat gun up in enough time to strike back. Once he was distracted Cadence took one last look around the room before teleporting. She arrived in STAR Labs, behind her friends, breathing heavily.

"You all really need to work on security," She said through ragged breaths. "If I can teleport in here, anyone can get past it."

"Are you okay?" Barry hurried to her side and helped her to her feet. "What happened? Where's Brady?"

"I'm fine considering," Cadence replied, being helped into Cisco's chair. "Brady's fine, too. That's not the point. You know how we were saying to be worried about Snart and Mick knowing who I was? Well, that seemed to be something they thought of too."

"What happened?" Harrison demanded.

Cadence looked at him glumly. "Other than messing up again?" She asked. "Not much. They just wanted to know the identity of The Flash."

"Cade…" Caitlin placed her hand on her shoulder and kneeled down by her side. "You didn't mess anything up?"

A snort escaped Cadence's lips. "I can't say my track record is really good. Not only have I ruined the whole point of a secret identity, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Within the last year an eight-year-old nearly got Wolverined, I basically became Deadpool at one point, we got repo'd by Juggernaut, Central City nearly became New York in the Avengers, and now we're got Batman's Mr. Freeze and a pyromaniac whose fetish is probably the smell of burning skin on our butts. So I'd say I messed up."

"There's that cheerleading pep and positivity," Caitlin said sarcastically.

Cisco slow clapped. "But Bravo on all of the comic book references."

Barry ran a hand over his face. "It's not your fault, it's mine," he said. "They only took you because they were trying to figure out my identity. Who knows what else they could've done to figure that out."

Cadence thought about telling him how they had tortured her but thought against it. The information wasn't going to help anything. They already had a vendetta against Snart, becoming even angrier wasn't going to do anything else. She looked up as Barry grabbed onto her shoulders. "I need your help," he said. "We've been thinking about this all wrong; putting you up against fire is just going to help them. What we need you to do is distract Captain Cold."

"Distract him for what?" She asked. "I don't know if you noticed, but he's so calculated I'm surprised his brain moves as quickly as it does."

"To cross its streams," Cisco remarked, snapping his fingers. "We've been thinking about this all wrong. To stop these two and their guns we thought we just had to knock the two of them out. What we need to do is cancel out their guns. Cold's is of absolute cold and Snart's is of absolute hot, so what else would be able to stop it rather than neutralizing it."

"And you think we can do that?" Caitlin asked. "It's not like we can force them to do it."

"Not without both of us working together," Barry remarked. He finally tore his gaze away from Cadence and looked at his friends with grim determination. "I can move around fast enough to get them to follow me, but with one person it'd be easy to follow. It'll be harder with two." He turned back to her. "What do you say, think you could help me?"

"Apparently everyone wants a piece of me today," Cadence said. "How can I say 'no' to that?"

But the words felt hollow on her tongue.

"But are you sure about this?" Caitlin pressed. "If you do this, you two are going to be revealing the fact that you're real things and not stories to Central City. Do you think you can handle that?"

"Not unless I can change my name," Cadence remarked, mostly to annoy Cisco who stuck his tongue out at her, sticking his nose in the air. "Sorry, but I've read enough of Iris's blog and other posts to be really tired of people calling me a sidekick."

Barry ignored her comment, turning to her with an outstretched hand. "Partners?" He asked.

"Partners." Cadence reached out and firmly grabbed his hand in hers.

* * *

It didn't take long for Snart and Mick to show their faces within Central City once more. Having been easily beaten and humiliated as Cadence had done to them before made them move faster than Team Flash had anticipated. However it didn't take long for a police barrier to show up in the middle of downtown Central City as Snart and Mick stood with their cold and heat guns ready. Cadence and Barry arrived on scene, breaking through the police barrier.

"Well, well, well, it seems that your little friend here let you know what happened," Snart said, pointing his cold gun directly at Barry's chest. "Now that we know her little secret, why don't' you tell us yours. Better yet, why don't you hold still while I 'flash freeze' you."

"Or Flash Fire," Mick added.

Cadence rolled her eyes. "Y'see? This is why I need a new name," She murmured to Barry, who briefly looked at her. She clenched her hands into fists.

Barry watched as Snart and Mick slowly walked towards the two of them. There weren't too many people around. He didn't have to worry about other people potentially getting hurt. No one but the police but Snart and Mick weren't after the police, they were after him. And they wanted him dead. _Hopefully this works,_ he thought, feeling his body tap into the source of speed as it always did before he went to run. He could even feel it in his eyes. Taking a glance at Cadence once more he nodded before racing down the street. Just as he thought, Snart and Mick followed his movements, turning around and shooting a blast of ice and fire after him.

Turning on his heel, Barry shot the other way, with Snart and Mick following him just as Cadence sent a combination of smoke and fire back towards them. Smiling to himself, Barry skidded on his feet once more and turned back to Snart and Mick once more. Snart, realizing what was going on, ducked down under the proverbial ash cloud and barked at Mick, "Don't stand there you idiot! Watch my back!"

With that, he turned and shot a blast of ice in the direction Barry was running, one blast escaping him and hit a fire extinguisher. Like a geyser, the water blasted out of the top and froze at the same time. With a cry of surprise, Barry tried to stop himself and found his feet skidding over the slush before crashing face first into the block of ice the geyser had become. It was no wonder he never particularly liked to ice skate. The bruising he immediately felt when falling face first into the frozen water was enough to give him flashbacks of his classmates' birthday parties at the ice rink.

Cadence turned the other way and focused her attention on Snart once more. This time she shot a stream of fire to his cold gun. Sensing heat coming his way, Mick turned and fired his gun at her instead, the two streams crashing against each other. The warm blast sent Cadence backwards and she teleported before hitting the parked car behind her, landing atop Mick in a crouching kick, sending him forward, then teleported once more. "Flash, get up!" She called. "We have some work to do!"

" _She's right,_ Harrison said. " _You know what you have to do."_

"Get faster?" Barry groaned. At least he could heal enough so that the bruising didn't hurt anymore. His bruised ego was another matter. He heard Caitlin's sigh and added. "I know, I know, cross their streams. You don't have to be so…uptight about it."

 _"I didn't even say anything!"_

 _"Yeah, but your sighs hold more words than you think, Cait,"_ Cisco pointed out.

" _Let's get back to the problem at hand, please,"_ Harrison said firmly.

Nodding, Barry lowered his hand from his ear piece. He flipped to his hands and knees and peered around he parked car he had crouched behind and found Cadence had drawn Snart's and Mick's attention towards her. That should work. There was a sudden high pitched whirring and everything moved in slow motion. Barry looked up to find Mick sending a blast of fire his way from his gun and Barry got up, just as the car caught fire and exploded.

"Got im'!" Mick declared, pumping his fist.

"I don't think so!" Barry called back.

He raced out of the explosive fire and away from Snart and Mick, grabbing Cadence's hand and pulled her away as well. When they came to a stop, Barry placed his hand on his knee, already winded from exertion. "This isn't working," he said.

She nodded. "Let's tire them out then."

"You got it."

With that, Barry and Cadence started to dart back and forth along the street with ice and fire blasts coming after them. Barry even raced up the side of a building to try and escape, but found himself blasted off the side with a rush of fire. He crashed hard to the ground and was knocked back once more when Snart hit him with ice. That was the worst part. With fire he could potentially take the speed, with ice it slowed him down. He had to have been hit directly. Cadence landed hard next to him, having been struck as well and the two looked up to find Snart and Mick walking towards them, guns drawn.

"How fast can you teleport?" Barry murmured to her, mind moving a mile a minute.

"Fast enough," Cadence whispered back. She was breathing as heavily as he was.

"I think we should use the plan we came up with, I just don't know if it's going to work," Barry replied.

"Better than nothing."

"Let's hope so."

There was another whirring sound and Barry looked up into the grinning faces of Snart and Mick. Just as the shot out another blast of fire and ice there was a metallic clanging sound. The metahumans looked up to find Eddie crouched down in front of them, holding onto the metal shield that Cisco had invented just for Captain Cold and Heat Wave. The blasts reflected off the front of the front of the shield but the pressure against it wore Eddie down to his knees.

Cadence teleported just as Barry grabbed onto Eddie and zipped him away from the criminals' blasts, sending him a safe distance away. He turned back around in time to find Cadence coming out of her teleport and landing on Mick. She wrapped her arms around his neck and turned him to face Snart at the same time Barry raced over to Snart and turned him to Mick at the same time they both fired their guns once more, crossing their streams.

There was an implosion that sent Snart and Mick flying away from each other across the street. Barry then stepped onto Snart's cold gun and pushed it away as Cadence disposed of Mick's heat gun.

The two criminals were knocked out as the police converged around them, guns drawn.

" _Yes! It worked!"_ Cisco cheered. " _My idea worked!"_

 _"How long do you think we're going to have to listen to this?"_ Caitlin asked.

" _You know as well as I do, Dr. Snow, this can go on for a long time."_

 _"That's what I was afraid of."_

Barry smiled to himself, relief moving through his body. They finally got him. Captain Cold was going to be put away and his partner was gone as well. Cadence turned to him and the two high-fived before going back to STAR Labs.

* * *

Cisco hummed to himself as he took the hot and cold guns, placing them in a secure locker beneath STAR Labs. He looked them over for a long time once they were taken back to the laboratories. The cold gun was what he had created; he knew it inside and out. But how in the world did they figure out how to make a heat gun as well? The circuitry was similar to his, but it was vastly different as well. Snart was smart, that much was certain, but Mick was a sort of meat head. How would either of them be able to create something so advanced if they weren't well versed in the sciences?

"Well, it's something else we have to think about," Cisco said to himself. "Not like we don't have the time, these guys are going to be in jail for a long time." His voice echoed back to him, reminding him of his tendency to talk to himself. But with STAR Labs being so big and the three of them dealing with so many different roles, it could get pretty creepy on the quieter floors of STAR Labs. Talking to himself was certainly a way to deal with it.

Besides now he had a new project to work on; the security for STAR Labs. Turning on his heel, Cisco whistled to himself as he walked back towards the Cortex, frowning when he found the light to Caitlin's office on. He thought he was the only one there; the others had made a quick exit as it was.

"She must've left the light on before she left," Cisco muttered to himself. He continued to walk to her office and stopped short in the doorway, mouth dropping open when he spotted Caitlin leaning over Harrison's wheelchair, hands on the sides of his face and kissing him.

Cisco started to spin in a wild circle, trying to decide whether or not he should leave and give them privacy, or give into his nosy disposition and wonder what it is they were up to. Not that he wanted to know _that_ bad, but the gossip and potential ways to use it to his advantage became too great. Not to mention the intense feeling of shock that made him practically scream like a little girl and yell, "What the hell?!"

Caitlin immediately jumped backwards as Harrison moved his wheelchair around.

The only sound that stretched between the three of them was the grinding gears of Harrison's wheelchair.

* * *

The first thing Cadence noticed when she got back to her apartment was that the door was slightly open. She immediately paused, wondering if she had left it open like that before she left. If she had been at her last apartment, which was in a not so great area, she wouldn't have thought it was a big deal. But being in a better part of the city…her paranoia was on the verge of going into overload.

She slowly pushed open the door and side-stepped her way inside, keeping her back pressed against a wall as she went. She listened hard for anyone that was inside but heard nothing. Her anxiety started to dwindle. Brady was at Conner's house as he had been since soccer practice that morning, so that worry was gone. They didn't have anything that valuable around. Snart and Mick were now in jail…

Her questions were answered as there was a sudden gust of wind and the front door blew shut, sounding like a gunshot. Cadence whirled around and her eyebrows rose. Becoming so used to the metahumans constantly running around Central City, she didn't get as surprised anymore. But the last person she expected to see was leaning against the door behind her.

"Nice place," he said, crossing his arms. "I figured at some point you would upgrade."

"Stratos," Cadence said. "What do you want?"

* * *

Iris finished sweeping the floor of Jitters and rested the broom against the counter. Placing her hands on her hips she double-checked she had cleaned every inch of the floor. Now all she had to do was close the register and she could get home and see Eddie. He had insisted that she stay at Jitters where things were safe once she had gotten a hold of him after the newsbreak that went over the TVs. As it was, it was probably a good thing she didn't go down there. She needed to keep busy.

It was tough being a policeman's daughter, but the girlfriend of one? That was even harder. If she didn't keep busy she would go nuts, probably do something stupid. So when her co-workers started to get antsy she offered to close up for them. Now she was ready to see what had happened, postings were flooding her blog, mentioning the Flash had finally shown himself. She needed to get on that, her journalistic sense was tingling as it were.

Hearing the bell over the door ring, Iris turned around to find a blonde woman coming into the shop, looking around pensively. "Oh, I'm sorry," She apologized. "Are you closing? I was going to ask for a cup but if you've already turned things off—"

"No, it's alright," Iris reassured her. "I only just turned off the coffee pot, it's still hot." She watched as the woman walked closer, slightly limping. Iris's eyebrows lowered in concern. "Is everything okay?"

The woman's blue-green eyes widened and she looked down at her leg as if noticing it for the first time. "Oh, yes, I'm fine. I've gotten used to it."

"Um…how did…"

"I was in a car accident, dear, it's alright," The woman said. "I like my coffee with two creams," she added.

Iris nodded and walked behind the counter, grabbing the coffee pot. A car accident was a conversation that was too heavy for the moment. Especially after what had happened to the Flash that night. "I haven't seen you around before, and being a barista you tend to notice everyone that comes in here."

"Yes, well, I've been in Coast City for a while," The woman explained. "There was a specialist out there that aided in my physical therapy after my accident. I couldn't pass it up if I wanted to walk again. But I've lived here in Central City for a while after having moved from Starling at one point. It's all a big jumble, my life's work make it so that I follow wherever the research needs me."

"So you're a scientist?" Figures. She always seemed to be surrounded by scientists these days. But this woman was different, she didn't speak like Caitlin, Cisco, and Barry did with as many big, scientific words that Iris could even fathom to look up later. The woman spoke to her warmly, with almost a motherly tone, but was still very wise. "What did you specialize in?"

"This, that and the other," The woman said. "I wouldn't want to bore you…uh…" she leaned forward to get a good look at Iris's name tag.

"Oh!" Iris held out her hand. "Iris West."

"It's nice to meet you, Iris," the woman said with a warm smile and shook her hand. "Tess Morgan. You can call me Tess."

* * *

 **A/N:** So as you can see I changed the Caitlin/Cisco part of the episode…personally I think I've put Caitlin in too many instances of having to be saved so far, she needed a break. But I hope you liked the change. Much like the last story at this point is when the overall story plot that deviates from the show comes in.

So, what do you think about Tess being alive? I bet no one saw that coming. And now Stratos is back, what do you think he wants?

Also, I have a question: Do you want the story to focus more on Cade's POV or do you think it's fine with it shifting POVs of different characters throughout the story? Any insight would be helpful.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**

PS - Don't forget to check out _In A Flash_ (on this account) and _The Mark of Sage_ on Crystal Manning's account. These three stories will crossover in _Flashpoint_ sometime soon.


	21. Happy Birthday, Brady (1)

**.:21:.**

* * *

Cadence leaned into the bathroom and sprayed it with enough Febreeze to create a visible avalanche then pulled the door shut to trap in the smell. Then she turned around and sighed heavily, bringing a hand up to rub the back of her head. "Okay, Cade, is anyone _actually_ going to care if your bedroom isn't completely clean? No? I didn't think so." With that, she walked out of her room and placed her hands on her hips, surveying the floor of the living room. Her eyes landed on the basket of clothes that sat on the floor, wondering if she truly did want to take the time to do the load at the moment.

"I'll just shove it in my closet; no one will look for it there." Tucking the basket under her arm, Cadence headed back into her bedroom to find more clothes to put into the basket. As she dug through her basket for dark clothes there was a light gust of wind that blew her hair around her face. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Hey, Barry," she greeted him, back turned to him.

"Hey, Cade," Barry replied.

"What's up?" She placed the now full basket of clothes on the ground and kicked it into the closet, hoping he didn't see the massive amount of Vans she had stacked up inside. Then something caught her attention and she tapped her chin. "How come you never use the front door?"

"You mean other than actually finding out that I can get bored of running?" Barry stretched his legs out along the length of the window sill. Crossing his arms over his chest, he appeared contemplative, tilting his head to the side. "It was fun at first, being able to get to Europe within a few minutes of running but now that I've been nearly everywhere, there's not so much to look at."

"Poor you." Cadence laughed. "You can go anywhere you want in the world within seconds and you're complaining about being able to do it."

Barry ignored her dig and decided to answer her second question. "The last time I used your front door I got kidnapped," he explained. "And for my own apartment it's hard to go in and out at all hours at a walk let alone a speed run." He swung his legs to the floor, resting his hands on the windowsill. "Actually, now that Iris has moved out, Joe's offered me to move back into my old room."

"Really?" Cadence's eyebrows rose in surprise. She walked over to the window and sat on it as well, turning so that her legs were hanging out the window, resting on the metal of the fire escape. "You moved back?"

"Yeah, it makes sense." Barry cleared his throat. "I mean, Joe knows about me so it makes it easier to change into my suit. I don't have to worry about waking up with one of my neighbors rummaging through my stuff. And," he gave a shrug and a silly smile. "We're millennials, it's what we do."

"I'll agree with everything but the moving back home part," Cadence said, laughing again. She brushed her hair back out of her face and leaned back, kicking her legs back and forth. "But I could've told you about your apartment ages ago. It wasn't safe let alone sanitary. And it's placement near skid row wasn't very inviting."

Barry started to nod then stopped, turning to her with a suspicious glance. "How'd you know that?" He asked. "You've never been there." His eyes slowly narrowed. "Have you been following me?"

Cadence thought for a moment before replying, trying to figure out how to explain it. "When I was in the Assassination Bureau I was a mercenary," She explained. "So it was my job to know everything about every one of my targets. At one point you were my target, I had to know everything about you, including where you lived." She bobbed her head back and forth. "Though some of it I'm not so sure of because of Breathtaker and Mindboggler having mind controlled me for a bit, but the information I _do_ have is really up to me to decide what to do with."

At Barry's horrified expression, probably thinking of things he had done in the privacy of his apartment, Cadence laughed. "I'm kidding, Barry. The only thing I did was make sure I knew what your schedule was other than the metahuman things that went on. In other words I had to know when you started and ended work with the CCPD and to figure out how often you went to Jitters or the bar with Caitlin and Cisco. And that was before I even met you."

"Oh." Barry frowned. Then he nodded, rubbing his palms on his jeans. "I guess it's a good thing you're on our side now. It's a great thing, I mean. I don't mean to question it or anything." He changed the subject. "So I guess Brady's excited for his birthday party today."

"You have no idea. I don't think I've ever seen anyone as excited to turn nine as he is." With that, Cadence pulled herself back into the window and resumed cleaning. She walked into the kitchen and pulled open the freezer, counting the different kinds of desserts that were inside before checking the cake that was being finished in the oven. "I don't doubt you've noticed I still have a hundred things I need to do, too."

"Yeah, I can see that," Barry agreed. "Do you need any help?"

"Not at the moment." Cadence closed the freezer door then snapped her fingers, turning to face him. "But I want to make sure of something. Do you mind at all if I put you down as one of Brady's emergency contacts for school?" She chewed her bottom lip. "I mean, just in case there's a time where you can get him and I can't."

"Yeah, that's fine," Barry replied. He crossed his arms, looking at his feet for a moment. Then he uncrossed them and rubbed the back of his neck. Then crossed them once more. "A-are you going to add Ryder as an emergency contact?"

"I haven't decided." Cadence replied dismissively. She left the kitchen and went to the living room closet, pulling out a pile of wrapped presents. "I have Caitlin down, though. I think she would be good to have, since she's probably get there on time. No offense."

"None taken," Barry said easily.

"I was thinking of adding Harrison, too, but that might not be a good idea considering how well known he is with the Particle Accelerator explosion."

"What about your Mom and Dad?"

Cadence haphazardly dropped Brady's presents onto a table that was set up and crossed her arms. Her eyes flashed as she turned back to Barry, trying to hold down the anger and frustration she was hoping to keep at bay for the day. "Why would I want to do that?" She asked.

Barry blinked in surprise at her suddenly hostile tone. "Because they're his grandparents?"

"So?"

Now Barry's face screwed up into an expression of concern. "I don't mean to step on your toes, Cade, especially because I'm not in your position. But I had the feeling that you got over your issue with your parents when you went to Metropolis."

"Yeah, I'm over that," Cadence agreed. "I'd be very petty if I weren't." She scratched the back of her head and let out a long sigh. "It's a whole other thing entirely and I don't want to bore you with the details."

"I have time. The party doesn't start for a while."

Cadence studied him for a long moment and seeing that he was being sincere she relaxed. "Okay. Well, it's not that my parents didn't care about me," she explained. "Clearly they did or else they wouldn't have adopted me. But as I grew older it became less about that, then it was caring about what I could do. I know a lot of people think that I'm good at a lot of things, and I've even been called perfect and accused of having the perfect life at one point. But my Mom and Dad put me into as many sports and clubs and extracurriculars as they could. On top of that, they made sure that I got good grades to the point that they eventually didn't like it when I got a B. It didn't help much that they're wealthy and well known in Metropolis so I felt that I had to be perfect in every way."

Cadence shook her head at the memories of the pressure put on her, a bitter smile coming to her lips. "So around my Mom and Dad I was that perfect kid they wanted, when I was around my friends I did whatever I wanted. I drank, I got into trouble, and I basically got away with whatever I wanted because I knew either my parents or my friends' parents would take care of whatever problem we got into. I wasn't out of control or anything, I only drank when I felt like it and the trouble we got into was nothing more than racing cars or playing pranks on people. But when we were doing that I felt like I was being myself, like I could be a person. Of course I didn't ever plan on getting pregnant but then knowing that they cared more about their 'perfect little girl' and their 'perfect reputation' than anything else pisses me off. I can handle them kicking me out, now. But everything else, all of that pressure they constantly put on me, I don't think I can forgive that.

"So I'm trying to be different with Brady. I won't ever let him run completely wild or anything, but whatever he wants to do I'll generally let him do it." Cadence frowned. "Except get a motorcycle, maybe."

"Why? What happened?"

"I crashed mine, which wasn't my fault, by the way." Cadence sighed and now used both hands to push her hair out her face. "And now I'm in Central City planning a birthday party to the circus and I have a million and one things to do and it doesn't look like I'm getting anything done." Her eyes shifted around the bare room then back to Barry with a pleading look in her eye. "Do you think you could…?" Cadence watched as Barry zipped around the small apartment, putting up the rest of the decorations she hadn't had time to put up yet. He came to a stop with a pleased grin, dusting off his hands.

"Done," He said.

Cadence bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "Actually, I was going to ask if you'd take Brady to get a haircut. But not bad." She tilted her head to the side as she studied a combination of streamers. "Those would look better over there, though."

"What? Are you an interior decorator now?" Barry teased.

Cadence shrugged. "Not really. Just a pregnancy project. I had to do something to keep from getting bored when I was on bed rest."

"I can see that," Barry agreed. He gave a sad smile. "My Mom used to say that I made her hate the taste of apple juice because when she was pregnant with me. I gave her that craving and it was all we had when she wasn't allowed to go to the store because she was on bed rest." He shook his head then looked Cadence in the eye. "If it still helps, I think you're doing a great job as his Mom."

"It does, Barry," Cadence gave a sincere smile. "Thanks." The two looked at each other, smiling until the sound of the door to the apartment opening and closing caught their attention. Barry cleared his throat and turned away as Cadence tucked her hair behind her ear and twisted around to see Brady walking in through the door, a sports bag hanging off his shoulder. He dropped it to the floor and walked over to the two metahumans.

"Hi Mom, Hi Barry," he greeted the two of them. His eyes lit up as they landed on the presents. "Are those for me?" He scurried to them and Cadence grabbed the back of his shirt, holding him far away from the gifts. "Aw, Mom. I just want to look."

"You can look later," she replied. Brady sighed and dropped his arms. He backed away and looked at his mother before glancing at her feet.

"Well?" He asked.

"Well what?"

"Well where's my present?" Brady placed his hands on his hips, copying his mother's stance from earlier. "I always open my gift form you first. Where is it?"

"Oh that." Cadence smiled at the impatient eye roll Brady sent her way. "It's not here yet." She laughed as his eyes widened in a worrying fashion and his hands dropped off its hips. "It'll be here later, bud, don't worry about it. Right now, you need to go get a haircut." As Brady pouted, she motioned over towards Barry. "Barry said he'd take you so I can get the rest of this place ready."

Brady immediately brightened, now causing Cadence to roll her eyes. _Now I know who the favorite is._ "Make sure you're back at least within an hour," she called to him which Brady called "okay," back over his shoulder before practically dragging Barry out of the apartment. Amused, Barry turned back and caught Cadence's eye.

'Thank you'," she mouthed.

'You're welcome', he mouthed back.

* * *

Arriving at the barbershop, Brady sat down in an empty seat in the waiting area and pulled out his Nintendo 3Ds to play a game. Barry sat down beside him, slouching low enough in his seat so that he could comfortably cross his legs at the knee. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and started to look through his texts. He was sure there was going to be a million of them considering Snart and Mick had both managed to escape the armored vehicle that had been transferring them to Iron Heights. No one knew what happened; one minute he and Cade had defeated them enough for the CCPD to come in and take them off to jail, he had even been there at the CCPD headquarters to watch as they came through; Mick snorting and ripping through the place like a bull with Snart walking calmly along behind him.

The next minute the news reports were going crazy saying they had manage dot get away. Barry shook his head as he looked through news reports that continued to say the same thing. No matter how many times he looked at them they were true, Snart and Mick were out of jail and they had somehow managed to escape completely. _Maybe Cade can help Caitlin and Cisco track them,_ Barry thought. _It can't be that hard for a former mercenary._

Pulling a stick of gum from his pocket, Barry offered Brady a piece before sticking the pack back into his pocket. He had just unwrapped a piece and stuck it in his mouth when Brady asked "So what's up with you and my Mom?"

Barry coughed, nearly inhaling the stick whole. He sat up and leaned forward, coughing harder, hoping to clear his airways. Finally, the gum moved out from the back of his throat and he caught his breath. "Hey man, are you okay?" A barber asked as he turned off his clippers. He and the African-American man he was working on both looked at him in concern. "Do you need some water?"

"No, I'm fine," Barry managed to say. "I'm fine." He turned back to Brady, who had paused his video game and was watching him curiously. It was then Barry realized, with slight annoyance, that he managed to perfectly mimic that expression from his mother. "What'd you say?" Hopefully he would be able to bide his time a little bit to figure out how to answer the question.

"It's just a question," Brady said calmly. He turned back to his video game, sticking his tongue out of the corner of his mouth in his effort to defeat whomever he was fighting against at the moment. "My Mom doesn't bring a lot of people home and she doesn't like to bring a lot of people around me. She said so." He paused his video game once more and looked at him curiously. "So what's going on with you and my Mom?"

"Ah…" Barry reached up a hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "We're just friends," he explained to the young boy and lowered his voice so that the barber and his patron wouldn't hear his next words. "We're partners working with Caitlin and Cisco and…" he trailed off for a moment, unsure of whether to refer to Harrison as 'Dr. Wells' or 'your grandfather'. "Dr. Wells. That's it."

Brady twisted his mouth to the side and continued to look Barry in the eye as if he didn't believe him. Then he turned his attention back to his video game. "Okay," he said finally. He pressed the buttons a few times; muttering something under his breath about 'slippery she-devil' then twisted and turned his video game back and forth. Barry leaned over to get a good look at the screen and smiled when he recognized the game.

"Do you want some help?" He asked.

"Sure." Brady handed the video game over and Barry and leaned over to see the screen, watching as Barry easily navigated the side scrolling game to reach the goal. "Wow! How'd you do that?"

"I had an earlier version of this game when I was a kid," he explained, handing it back. "The game play is very similar, to the point I wouldn't be surprised if this game was just a port to the console. Now, what you should be worried about is the next level. Here's a hint, make sure you have your timing right."

"Okay. Thanks." Brady turned back to his video game but continued to ask him questions. "Do you like video games?"

"I love video games," Barry said. "I play the Xbox every chance I get. Though that's not to say that Nintendo and the Playstation can't be cool, too."

"Do you like movies?"

"Yes."

"What's your favorite kind?"

"I like action movies. What about you?"

"I can't see a lot of movies, I'm just a kid, remember?" Brady reminded him, causing Barry to laugh. Brady paused as he waited for his video game screen to move to the next one. "Do you like to drink?"

"Not really," Barry admitted. "I can't get drunk so there's really no point." He paused for a moment, thinking maybe he had really messed up and told his secret to two unsuspecting people in the barbershop but they didn't seem to be paying any attention to him.

"Well, did you like it in college?"

"That was before my powers and I was a bit busy studying for my two degrees."

"But you and Mom and Caitlin and Cisco go to the bar sometimes."

"Yeah, but watching Cisco get drunk is different than trying to get drunk yourself."

Barry laughed as Brady smiled, looking up when he was called to by the barber, who now had an empty chair. Brady turned off his game and went over to the seat, climbing up into it. He kicked his legs back and forth, waiting for the cape to be draped over him and to be raised high enough for the barber to get a good look at his hair. "So what have we got for you today, Little Man?" The barber asked.

Brady through for a moment then turned to him and said. "I want a Mohawk!"

Immediately, Barry's eyes widened and he got up from his seat and hurried over to the chair, holding up his hands. "I don't think your Mom is going to be happy with a Mohawk for your haircut. I think she wanted you to get a trim."

"It's my birthday and I want a Mohawk," Brady insisted. He tilted his head and looked at the barber. "I want a Mohawk, please."

"Whatever you say, Little Man. It's your birthday," the barber said, picking up a pair of clippers and turned them on. Barry watched as clumps of Brady's hair was buzzed off his head, briefly remembering the time he had cut his own hair with a pair of scissors and his Mom caught him.

She wasn't too happy.

* * *

"Hey," Caitlin greeted as she, Cisco, and Harrison entered the door of Cadence's apartment. She held up a bright blue gift bag. "This is for Brady; it's from the three of us."

"More like the two of them," Cisco said, causing Caitlin to glare over at him. Cadence's eyebrows lowered in confusion as Cisco grinned brightly, holding up his hands. "I don't fit anywhere in that equation."

"O…kay…" Cadence said slowly. She reached out her hand and took the gift bag from Caitlin, noting the weight of it as her arm shot towards the ground. Caitlin rolled her eyes and moved closer to her, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth as she whispered, "his name is on the card, I have no idea what's wrong with him."

"Hmm, did he get drunk already?" Cadence joked back. "Because nothing seems better than having to deal with a bunch of screaming banshees at a circus than getting drunk beforehand." She rolled her eyes, walking the bag over to the gift table. "I'm kidding. If I know Cisco as well as I do within the last couple of months, this guy is as excited as everyone else that's coming."

"Speaking of which," Caitlin said, looking around the room. "Where are all of the other kids?"

"They're meeting us at the circus," Cadence explained. "I thought it would be a better idea to have them meet us there rather than come here because I wasn't sure how the parents would react to—"

"—To Harrison?" Caitlin guessed.

Cadence paused then her eyes narrowed. "No, I was going to say how the parents would react to knowing that Ryder was here to," she said slowly. "It's bad enough I'm already being blackballed from PTA meetings and told that I made such a monumental mistake in my life, I don't need them to judge me for not being married to his father either." She pouted. "What's up with everyone putting words in my mouth today?"

Caitlin's eyes widened and she held up her hands. "I'm not trying to. I'm just saying that I can understand how people may not be accepting of Harrison. I mean, Dr. Wells. And the choices he may or may not make in his personal life."

"Are you okay, Cait? You're acting more uptight than usual."

"I'm fine, I promise." Caitlin's eyes shifted behind her. "Oh is that punch?" She walked over to the table that was set up with cake and a bowl of punch. She gave Cisco another glance, along with an elbow to the ribs as she passed him then greeted Iris, Joe, and Eddie at the punch bowl.

Cadence let out another breath, looking at her watch as there was another knock on the apartment door and opened it to find Ryder standing there, hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. He smiled and gave her a quick hug before stepping into the apartment. "Hey, Cadey," he greeted her.

"Hey, Ry," Cadence replied, hugging him back. She kept the apartment door open, hearing the sound of footsteps and familiar voices coming up the stairwell behind him. "Thanks for coming, I know Brady's going to like that you're here." She gave him a half smile which he returned.

"Yeah, well, I'm trying to make up for lost time," he replied then looked her up and down. "Speaking of, do you want me to keep answering the door while you get dressed?"

Cadence planted her hands on her hips. "I _am_ dressed!"

"Oh!" Ryder grimaced. "Sorry, I thought—"

Cutting him off with a laugh, Cadence shook her head. "You always were terrible with things like that, Ry. Especially when I got a haircut; you looked like you were going to have a heart attack every time I asked how it looked."

Ryder shrugged. "I didn't want to say anything wrong in case you liked it and I didn't."

"And by the end you figured out it was better not to give your opinion one way or the other." She smiled and turned to the door as Conner and his mother appeared in the doorway. "Hi, Conner," she greeted the young boy then thrust her hand out to the young woman that stood behind her. "You must be Conner's mother."

"I am," she replied with a smile and shook Cadence's had. "I'm Sandra Hawke. I've heard a lot about you from my son. He and Brady have really hit it off since Brady came back to school. The two are already inseparable. I haven't seen Conner have such a good friend in a while."

 _I can definitely say the same about Brady,_ Cadence said, thinking about all of the older adults she had in her apartment and briefly wondering if that was a bad thing. Then again, that was how she grew up as well; having to be shown around to all of the social gatherings and events her parents were invited to. Maybe she was unconsciously doing the same thing. _God I need to get away from my parents._

"Well I'm glad that you decided to come for the party, Conner," Cadence said, smiling down at him.

"Thanks Miss. Nash," Conner said and dragged is large gift box inside, clutching it with two hands as he did so. Sandra laughed and ruffled her son's hair before turning back to Cadence. "I wish I could stay but I have all of Conner's stuff so he can sleep over later." She lifted a sleeping bag and placed it on the floor. "He's a heavy sleeper so don't be alarmed if he sleeps in a lot the next morning."

"Oh don't worry, I'll just set off a firecracker next to his head," Cadence said. She laughed along with Sandra before her smile faded slightly, scratching the side of her head. "That would be funnier if Brady hadn't done the same to me ages ago."

"Have you gotten cold water thrown on you as well?"

"Yes."

"Cause that's Conner's favorite one." Sandra shook her head. "He wouldn't get away with it if he wasn't so cute." She laughed, tucked her hair behind her ear. "Okay, I think that's everything. Tell Conner I'll pick him up tomorrow and tell Brady 'happy birthday'."

"I will. Thanks." Cadence got one last surprise when Barry sheepishly came through the door with Brady in tow who immediately hurried over to Conner and started to talk enthusiastically with him, waving his game player around. "Hey. Thanks for taking Brady to get his haircut, I'll pay you back." She paused and noticed the slightly nauseous expression on Barry's face. "Why do you look like you're about to throw up?"

"Because I'm not sure how you're going to react," Barry said slowly. "Not that it's a bad thing. It's not that bad, really. Hardly a blip on the radar of things that'd be…bad. You know what? I never should've brought it up. It's nothing. I mean, if you call a haircut nothing."

"Wha—?" Cadence turned her attention towards her son and Barry sucked in a deep breath through his teeth, waiting for her reaction. She grabbed onto Brady's shoulder and dragged him over to the two of them, staring at the shaved sides of his head with the strands of hair that were poked up in the center. "A Mohawk?" Cadence asked. She looked up at Barry with wide eyes. "I send you out with my kid to get a haircut and—"she reached out and placed her hands over Brady's ears—"and you bring him back with a fucking Mohawk?"

" _I_ didn't tell him to get the Mohawk, he did," Barry defended himself.

Cadence tilted Brady's head back so he looked at her upside down and removed her hands from his ears. "Did you ask for the Mohawk?"

Brady blinked once. "Yes."

"Go away." Cadence pushed Brady away from her before bringing her hand up and pinching the bridge of her nose.

"It's not that bad," Barry said, hoping to still appease Cadence. "Actually, I think I had one when I was a kid. When my hair wasn't in a bowl cut, anyway."

"Somehow I doubt that," Cadence remarked.

"What? That I had a bowl cut?"

"No, I believe that. I don't believe you had a Mohawk." Cadence took a deep breath and let it out through her mouth. "It's okay. It's just a haircut. I don't care about a stupid haircut anyway."

"Then what are you so freaked out about?" Barry tilted his head to the side, rubbing his chin. Then she started to grin as he snapped his fingers. "It's the circus! The clowns! They said you're afraid of clowns!" Cadence scowled as Barry started to laugh. "Ooh, the big bad fire metahuman is afraid of clowns. Oh this is going to be great." Cadence raised an eyebrow, watching him. "So what about them do you hate? The makeup? The permanent smile? The way they always pretend to be so happy? Is it how their rubber noses squeak?"

Cadence reached out and shoved Barry on the arm. "Shut up, Tholly."

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, for the people that were waiting, I was purposefully heavy on BarryCade in this one. I'm sorry I made you wait so long but it's a slow burn (no pun intended) for a reason. I hope you guys don't hate me for making you all wait so long for that. Next chapter goes back into Caitlin, Cisco, and Harrison and what's going on with them with some SnowWells.

I hope you guys will enjoy my take on the metahuman circus. Here's a question for you all, do you think Ryder should know about Cade's and Brady's powers sooner or later?

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	22. Circus For a Psycho (2)

**.:22:.**

* * *

"So how did it happen anyway? Were you just working late one night and then you looked over, allowing your hidden throws of passion to take you over and you jumped him? Or did he jump you?" Cisco rubbed his chin. "Well, I know he can't _physically_ jump you, but this is Dr. Wells we're talking about. If he can figure out how to do something it's to—"

"—Cisco!" Caitlin snapped, her face turning red. She whipped around and grabbed onto his arm, pulling him back from the flow of patrons who were ready to go into the circus. "Would you please stop? It's already bad enough that you know," she noticed the offended look on Cisco's face as his head jerked back. "Oh, you know what I mean."

"What do you mean its 'bad enough' that I know?" Cisco brought a hand up to his chest and blinked rapidly. "It was horrifying to have to walk into your office and watch you making out like that." He dropped his hand then started to laugh lightly. "I mean you should see how badly you kiss. Has it really been that long?" Caitlin placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Okay, okay, fine. Just explain it to me. What's going on?"

"I…I don't know," Caitlin admitted, running a hand through her hair. "It started after everything with the Assassination Bureau ended, maybe even a bit before that. And…I don't know…with Ronnie and everything it felt good to know that someone wanted me." She lowered her head. "I haven't said anything because it wasn't for us to say and Harrison—Dr. _Wells_ is a private man and—"

She broke off once more as Cisco starting laughing. "You call him Harrison?" He asked. "Oh, I get it. To throw off the trail you only refer to him as Dr. Wells when you're around the rest of us." He crossed his arms, still grinning. "This is the most entertaining thing I've ever heard. I mean, wow, I never thought you would do something like this Caitlin. But, well, I guess I should have. You were really open to more things when you were with Ronnie. Oh the things he would tell me."

Now Caitlin blushed even harder. "What did he tell you?" She demanded. She moved to grab onto the front of his t-shirt and he took a step back away from her.

"Whoa, easy there, tiger," he said. He held up his hands. "I'm the only one that knows about this, okay? I have all the power here."

Caitlin placed her hands on her hips. "Now you're going to blackmail me?"

"Just until I get all of the information." Cisco thought for a moment. "Okay, so you and Dr. Wells are dating and have been for a while. And then you got him that Christmas gift. Mhm. And _he_ was the one who gave you the earrings and why you wore that spicy little number to STAR Labs at one point." He rubbed his chin. "It's all making sense now."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Caitlin crossed her arms. She looked over her shoulder as everyone stood in line to get their tickets passed through admissions so they could go inside. She smiled, watching as Brady and Connor continued to bob and weave, looking around each other to see what was going on. They were really excited. She hadn't been that excited for anything in a long time; it was very nice to see. When she was with Harrison she felt the same way, like things were new and fresh and that she could finally live life again.

"Wait a minute." Oh boy. Now Cisco was looking at her suspiciously. Caitlin tried to channel the way she was after Ronnie died, where no emotion came to her face. "You've been dating—"

"—we're not dating," Caitlin said quickly.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever Selena, you can keep denying your romance with Justin Bieber all you want but I know what time it is," Cisco interrupted her.

"Okay, you know a _little_ too much about pop culture, Cisco. This is starting to get scary."

"Don't change the subject, Caitlin." Cisco lowered his voice and took a step closer to her, his eyes searching hers. "How far…I mean…what have…can he…did you…?" He stopped for a moment, clasping his hands over his mouth. " _Oh dios mio_ I'm going to hell for asking this but…have you and two slept together?"

The mention of it brought memories back to her that made her face immediately turn into a tomato on fire. She reached out and slapped her hand against Cisco's mouth, hoping no one that was with them had heard. "Shh," she hissed. "Yes!" She lowered her hand from his mouth and took a step closer to him. "Yes, we have, not that it's any of your business."

Now the grin on Cisco's face fluctuated between amusement and curiosity. It flipped back and forth for a moment before he leaned to the side and scanned the faces in line. Then his eyes widened and he leaned back to face Caitlin once more. "Cait," he said slowly. "You slept with Cade's _Dad_!"

"I know. I know. That's the part that kinda freaks me out," Caitlin admitted. "I don't know how she'll react. And there's something else."

Cisco threw his hands into the air. "What? Did you go on a crime spree and murder someone, too? What could be worse?"

"Ronnie." The word was said so simply that confusion came to Cisco's face and his hands immediately slapped to his sides as he said, "Oh, yeah. That."

Pressing her lips together, Caitlin took in a deep breath. "I know I need to tell the others but I've been trying to figure everything out. He told me something and I looked it up, to see what could explain what it meant. F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M. Fusion, Ignition, Research Experiment and Science of Transmutation Originating RNA and Molecular Structures."

"And?" Cisco pressed.

"It talked a lot about transmutation. I looked to see who wrote it; Jason Rusch and Martin Stein. So I tracked down Rusch and asked him about it." Caitlin shook her head. "He said it they had some beginning success with Professor Stein at the head. But they jumped ahead and went to a stage where they melted a concrete wall. We wrote the paper and had it published even though Hudson University wanted to stop it. They weren't happy about that."

"I can imagine," Cisco said. "They don't like it when you break the rules.

"And no one has seen Professor Stein since then. The army had then gone in and confiscated their research on it. But because of it being about transmutation I think that may be what happened with Ronnie, what turned him into the metahuman that he is," Caitlin said. "I don't know for sure and I won't know unless we figure out where he is."

"Okay." Cisco rubbed his mouth. "Okay. We can do that. But not right now, Cait. Not when it's Brady's birthday. Today's a day where we can sit back and have fun. We can deal with all of this mess later, okay?" Caitlin nodded and he leaned in, giving her a hug, which she gratefully returned. "Let's go have some fun." He put his arm around her shoulders and she did the same to him as they turned and walked back to the line.

Caitlin could feel herself smiling again. The weight of the world was off her shoulders now that someone else knew what was going on. She could relax a little bit, have someone to talk to about her budding love life, have someone to talk to about how she was really feeling. She and Cadence did talk about those things but she avoided a lot of the topics that could come up because of the fact she was going out—or whatever—with her friend's biological father. Now that the worry was all gone, she could put all of her trust into Cisco as she had done before, back when she was first going out with Ronnie.

Now she could smile.

"So, when you said you slept with him…how did that work exactly?"

Until then.

"Hey, guys!" Barry suddenly appeared in front of them and Caitlin let out a quiet sight of relief. Thank God for Barry and his potential crisis of the day. Anything to turn the attention off of her a little bit. "I need to ask you something. Cade added me to the emergency contacts list for Brady's school. That's not a big deal right?" He crossed his arms, blue-green eyes shifting back and forth from Caitlin to Cisco. "I mean, I didn't think it was but that means that she really trusts me with Brady, right?"

Caitlin opened her mouth to answer and found that Barry continued to ramble. She exchanged a look with Cisco, as he discreetly lowered his head and made the 'cuckoo' sign next to his ear causing Caitlin to burst out laughing before Cisco started to laugh as well.

Barry spread his arms in a move to show his absolute confusion as to why they were suddenly laughing at him. "What?"

* * *

Barry stretched his arms over his head as he settled down into his seat. Leaning forward, he looked around as the stands were filled with audience members that waited for the show to start. He smiled as he looked around at the excitement that filled the faces of everyone around him. It reminded him of all of the times he had gone to the Central City Circus with his mom and dad, before everything fell apart. Their trip to the circus was always an all-day event.

His mother would wake him up early and they'd go down to the kitchen to find his father making his famous pancakes, bacon, and eggs, something usually reserved for birthdays and holidays. Then they would go to the site where the circus would be set up with the Wests and they'd watch as everything was put together before going in to spend the entire day at the show, viewing through multiple showings and events going on inside and outside the tents as well. Those were his best memories of his parents; some of the few days when they were all together despite his father's busy work schedule. It was one of the last things they did together before the 'incident'; there were no birthdays close enough to have anything else to look forward to.

In a way he was surprised he was able to look at the circus the same way he used to.

At least until Cadence plopped down next to him, leaning left and right, flinching every time someone came near her. Brady, who was watching his mother as well, caught Barry's eye and smiled while Barry winked back at him. Cadence, seeming to know the two were silently making fun of her, scowled. "It's not funny," She said before a pout came to her face, shoulders slumping forward. Her knees bounced up and down, hand to her mouth, teeth clenching on her nails but not biting them.

Clearing his throat, Barry straightened himself, resting his hands in his lap. "Hey Cade, has anyone ever told you—"

"—that I look like Lana Lang?" Cadence interrupted. "Yeah, I've been told that so many times before. Honestly, I don't see the resemblance."

A startled laugh escaped Barry's mouth as he ran a hand through his hair. "Uh, no, that you can be really closed minded?" She snorted, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "Clowns aren't that scary. Everyone has a job to do and for the circus some people had to put paint on their face and entertain the crowd."

"And little kids think its _fun_ to sit back and cry whenever a clown comes their way?" Cadence lowered her head, resting her forehead into her hands as a clown walked by, honking its nose at the crowd. "I don't think so." She turned to Brady and poked him in the side. "You just _had_ to have your birthday at the freaking circus didn't you?"

Brady beamed back at her. "It's _my_ birthday," Brady shot back. "Deal with it." He leaned towards her and stuck out his tongue, causing Cadence to roll her eyes and push his face away as he laughed.

"Calm down, Cadey-Cat," Ryder said as he sat on the bench in front of them with Iris, Eddie, Joe, and Harrison. "It's not the end of the world."

Cadence lifted her head and glared at him. "Not funny, Ry-bug!" She shot back.

Barry's eyebrows hiked upwards at the mentions of the nicknames. That didn't seem to be the kind of nickname he would have expected her to have. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, before turning completely and giving him direct eye contact—which he noticed she never shied away from—and shook her head. "Don't ask. It's one of the few that I have that I don't question; the others being Cadey-Cane and BarriCade, and Cascade. But I've got some really weird ones before."

"You know mine?" Barry shot back. "I've been called Hairy-Barry, Scary-Barry, Barfolomew, and Awkward Allen." He bobbed his head back and forth as Cadence laughed. "The last one being pretty self explanatory with my gangly arms and legs and social awkwardness."

"I don't think you're socially awkward," Cadence said honestly. She nudged his side with her shoulder as she smiled at him. "A little talkative when you're nervous, but not socially awkward." She brought a hand up to her chest and mimed drawing an 'x'. "I promise."

"You promise?" Barry shot back.

"Promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"I never do." She then turned away, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "Besides, I'm kind of partial to the nickname Tholly, anyway."

Barry laughed. He started to say 'me too' but his voice was covered by the sudden fanfare and tore his eyes away from hers, turning his attention back to the center ring, feeling his excitement well up once more though there was a tinge of sadness, too. He hadn't been there since before his father was sent to jail; Joe and Iris had asked if he wanted to go but he turned them down each time they asked. Eventually they stopped going and never mentioned when it was coming close. Now Iris turned around in her seat and grabbed onto Barry's hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Remember the last time we were here?" She asked. "When you and I were so excited that we couldn't eat any of the food we bought."

"Yeah, I remember," Barry said as he laughed. "So much wasted…food."

"And so many parents angry over the money they wasted over so much uneaten food," Joe said from beside her, shaking his head. "But I guess it's better than the year before when we spent so much money because you all ate everything in sight." He rolled his eyes. "And then there was the elephant…"

"Elephant?" Ryder and Eddie echoed in unison.

Iris swatted her father on the arm. "Hey! That elephant stole my cotton candy! I was going to get it back one way or another."

"One new lawsuit and a grudge later we were nearly banned from it," Joe reminded her. He pointed a finger in her face. "Don't think I've forgotten about that. I still have some of my former colleagues telling me it would've made headlines that I got jailed for punching out a clown for harassing my daughter."

"See!" Cade cried, throwing out her arms. "He understands that clowns are creepy, too!"

"Cade, you're the only one that's saying it," Ryder pointed out, teasingly. "No one else has or ever will share your opinion." With that, Cadence stuck her tongue out at the back of his head then used both of her hands to ruffle his hair into his face. Ryder pushed her hands away and slapped her on the knee instead.

"I'm with Cade on wanting to get out of here," Eddie spoke up. He sounded less than enthused, having to sit there. "I mean, the Circus? It's not my favorite place in the world to go."

"Come on," Iris said. "I sat through every episode of Reno 911! So you should stay as your end of the deal."

Eddie raised an eyebrow. "I've spent just as long shopping online with you," he said. "Through nearly every sale you could possible think of. I think I've paid my dues." Iris pouted and Eddie leaned in, giving her a peck. Barry noticed once more that he wasn't jealous at their sign of affection anymore. "But I guess I'll stay."

"Thank you."

Conner laughed at the exchange through everyone and said to Brady, "I like your family. They're funny."

"Thanks," Brady replied with a bright smile.

Barry smiled and glanced upwards as the lights started to dim and a spotlight shone in the middle of the ring. He watched as the Ring Master strode confidently out into the middle of the ring and spread his arms out. "Welcome to the Central City Circus," he announced in a loud, booming voice. "I'm your Ring Master Nathan Bliss; I hope to give you a blissful time tonight!" He took a step back and bowed as the audience started to clap. "Now, I'm sure you've all heard before that it was the happiest show on Earth, but I can assure you that _this_ is the happiest show on Earth! Have a good time everyone!"

The Circus had the same acts Barry remembered from when he was young; the snake charmer, the lion tamer, the acrobats, those that rode atop elephants, the human canon ball, and more. Every now and then Iris would turn around in her seat and the two would grin at each other, silently remembering everything they had experienced with past circuses.

Barry found himself enjoying much more than he thought he would.

The acrobats impressed him more than ever and those that stood atop the backs of the elephants on one foot, transferring to others with ease still made his mouth drop open with shock. Soon he found himself completely transfixed with the whole thing, unable to tear his eyes away. His eyes shot around to everything within the ring then focused on Nathan Bliss. The man stood off to the side, watching his co-workers and employees as they did as they were to do, a strange smile on his face.

 _What's that about?_ Barry thought. He tried to look away and found he was continuously stuck staring at the ring master. He tried to tear his eyes away, to look at his friends, to look at the people sitting in the rafters across from him but he couldn't. Panic seized his heart and he tried to stand up, to move away, and found he was stuck rooted to the spot.

And he continued to stare as everything around him melted away into blackness. Every nerve in his body screamed as he tried his hardest to wiggle a toe or even a finger but it wasn't working. Then there was the sudden sharp slap of pain that started in his gut and spread outward. Blinding, twisting and pulling at each and every fiber of his being. He slid to the side and fell to the ground. Or what he thought was the ground; everything around him was all black and as he fell to the ground it was as if he was floating on air. But the cloud was of blinding pain, lightning bolts shooting through his body.

 _"Awww, so sorry."_

Barry's eyes shifted to the side and he finally found he was able to move. He sucked in a sharp lungful of air to the lungs that had just been paralyzed and started t drink in as much as he could get. _Calm down, Barry. Calm down. You can breathe, you're fine._ It wouldn't help if he were to start hyperventilating. Closing his eyes tightly, Barry pushed himself up into a sitting position, and then jerked back when he realized how close Mr. Bliss was to him.

Tilting his head to the side, Mr. Bliss brought his hands together and held onto the whip that sat in his hands. "I'm sorry to have done this but you see, this is the first time the Circus has been in Central City for a long time. And I don't know about you, but us freaks enjoy our day in the sun every once in a while."

"W-what do you mean?" Barry asked, surprised to find that he could speak as well. "I don't understand."

 _"Oh, but you will soon."_ Mr. Bliss took another step towards Barry and lifted his whip high above his head. _"You just felt some of the pain that I've felt every day of my life for a long time. Now here's to take on the full brunt!"_ Barry shielded himself as the whip came cracking down next to him.

 _"Barry."_

Twisting around, Barry scrambled to his feet. He stared at his mother and father as they stood in front of him. Both of them were smiling so wide that wrinkles appeared in the corners of their eyes. Henry put his arm around Nora's shoulders and hugged her to his side as they continued to smile down at him. Barry's eyebrows lowered as he watched the two of them.

"Mom," he breathed. "Dad." He reached out a hand to touch them then pulled it back. No. He had fallen for this one time before—when Mindboggler had mind-controlled him, trying to drive him crazy—and he wasn't going to do it again. But there they both were this time, not just his mother. They were both there, smiling proudly at him. "I don't…"

 _"C'mon slugger,"_ Henry said, reaching his hand out towards his son. _"Don't make us wait all day."_

"Yeah," Nora agreed with the warm smile that only she could perfect. "I haven't seen my boy in so long. Aren't you going to give me a hug?" She brought her hand and rubbed Henry's stomach, causing him to smile and lean in, giving her a kiss on the side of the head. Barry could hear the light smack sound the kiss made. It had to be true.

They really had to be there.

Reaching out his hand, Barry slowly started to walk forward. Tears sprang to his eyes; he did his best not to let them fall but once one escaped the others did as well. He started off slowly, taking a few shaky steps, then he was running, sprinting as hard as he could, though the darkness and towards the light his parents radiated. Once he reached them they would be a family again. They would be together again. They would—

The intense heat struck Barry in the face, causing him to skid to a stop. Eyes widening in horror, Barry watched as his mother and father slowly started to morph. Flames licked at their feet before twisting, arching, and dancing their way up their bodies and as Barry watched, his parents continued to morph even further. Their faces twisted into grotesque, bony smiles, hands dripping pieces of melted flesh, teeth grinning at him.

 _"What's the matter, sweetie?"_ Nora asked, shuffling towards him. _"Don't you want to give your mother a hug?"_

 _"Yeah, c'mon Slugger,"_ Henry added, starting to take long strides towards him as well. Trembling, Barry took a step back, _away_ from his parents for the first time in his life. _"Don't leave us hanging."_

"No…"

The whisper escaped Barry's lips. He swallowed hard, forced down the lump that was threatening to choke him. No. Not again. Why? Why was it always him? Why did he always have to have his hopes raised and dashed so many times? How many more times was he going to allow his heart being pulled like that?

All of a sudden there was a loud screech and Barry looked up to find the Black Flash and Reverse Flash both running his way. As they got closer, their hands reached out towards him, both aiming towards his heart.

Then he found himself pinned to the ground, the demonic figure of his mother holding him down by her shoulders. _"Why, Barry?!"_ She shrieked, putrid breath hot in his face. Her sharp fingers dug into his shoulders. Looking over her shoulder he could still see the Black and Reverse Flash closing in while Henry stood nearby, watching. _"Why haven't you gotten the man that killed me in jail yet?"_

As Barry stared up into his mother's face, he wept. Tears fell from his eyes and rolled down his cheeks to his ears. "Mom," he cried. "I'm trying."

 _"You're not trying your hardest!" Nora screeched. "You're not! You're not!"_

"I'm sorry—"

 _"I'm going to kill you just like I was. Unless you do better. You have to do better, Barry! You have to!"_

"No, stop please. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Mom." Barry continued to weep, holding his eyes shut. "I'm trying. I promise."

 _"Barry."_

"No."

 _"Barry!"_

"Not again."

 _"BARRY!"_

"NO!"

With a loud gasp, Barry opened his eyes, feeling his upper body jerk forwards. He settled back on the ground, realizing hands were framing the sides of his face. He looked up and found Cadence kneeling over him, staring hard into his eyes. She must've been the one that was yelling at him. "Are you okay?" Her voice sounded a bit muffled and Barry shook his head, wiggling his ears as hard as he could. "Barry, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Barry replied, finally finding that everything seemed to shift back into focus. She grinned and gave him a quick hug and he hugged her back. That's when the sound of chaos suddenly shifted back into focus for him. He sat up even further and looked around. Half of the audience was fighting each other—punching and kicking—the other half were curled up on the ground, screaming in pain or in absolute fear. A man that sat nearby him stared straight ahead, eyes wide with abject terror, mouth open in long, loud shrieks. Barry then spotted Joe, Eddie, and Iris; Eddie was staring into space, staring at something in horror while Iris and Joe were yelling at each other, coming close to trading blows.

He couldn't see Caitlin, Cisco, Harrison, or Ryder but hoped they were safe as well. Shifting backwards, Barry ran into Cadence and then noticed her arms around Brady and Conner, holding them to her sides. Conner looked up at Barry then around at everyone around them.

"What's wrong with everyone?" He asked. "What's going on?"

"We'll figure it out," Cadence said, rubbing his back. She turned to Barry. "Something tells me this is in part of a meta."

"What happened?" Barry asked her as they finally got to their feet.

She shrugged. "One minute I'm watching the show, the next I'm looking at…" She trailed off, shaking her head as if she couldn't speak it out loud. Barry noticed a shadow come through her eyes and started to say something but she followed p with, "Then I woke up to everyone around us fighting or screaming. I don't know how I got out of it. There was something…someone in the back of my mind helping me out of it…"

Like she had done for him. Barry looked around; scanning the faces of everyone he could see. If this was being done by a meta who was the one that was doing everything? It seemed like everyone was being swept up in the sea of anger and chaos. His eyes finally settled on Mr. Bliss, who stood in the center of the ring, arms crossed and watching the chaos. Stranding around him were his co-workers, all watching as well, evil smiles on their faces.

"We have to get them out of here," Barry said, looking down at Brady and Conner. "Then we have to go save the others."

"Right," Cadence agreed. The four turned around and started to look for the exit, stopping when they found the snake-lady standing in front of them. They immediately came to a stop and before Barry could move, he found the snake darting towards Conner, mouth wide open, fangs dripping. Barry moved, using his super speed, to grab onto the snake, to pull it back, but found he didn't need to.

Brady, who was holding onto Conner's wrist, squeezed his eyes shut just as the snake shot forward. Rather than colliding straight with Conner's chest, sending its fangs with the venomous poison into the young boy's bloodstream, the snake went completely through him, falling in a heap on the floor.

"C'mon, we have to get them somewhere safe," Barry said to Cadence over the sound of the noise around them. She looked at him and nodded. "Hold on, okay?" held onto the three and raced them back to Cadence's apartment before taking Cadence to Star Labs. They changed into their suits and he zoomed back to the apartment while Cadence teleported back to the circus, which was only a moment after leaving the first time.

"Wow!" Conner's eyes widened. "The Flash! You saved us."

"You two stay here," Barry said. "We're going to get everyone else out of that circus, make sure they're okay."

"What about Barry and Miss. Nash?" Conner added. "Why didn't that snake attack me? You did that, right?" Beside him, Brady made a face, as if unsure how to answer the questions.

"Cadence and Barry decided to stay back so they could help everyone who was in trouble," Barry explained. "Now, I want you to stay here; don't answer the door to anyone, okay?" Brady and Conner nodded and Barry nodded back before heading back to the circus. He raced inside and darted around, taking as many of the audience members out as quickly as he could. Once they were outside, out of Mr. Bliss's reach, they came back to their senses. "Hurry, run!" He cried.

Barry didn't allow himself to relax a little bit until he had his friends outside. They all looked around at each other in confusion before getting a glance at the Flash and realize something had been going on. Caitlin, Cisco, and Harrison hurried to the S.T.A.R. Labs van they had taken to the circus to help them out. Then he finally headed inside, eyes widening when he saw members of the audience held up in metal cages.

His eyes quickly scanned the room and he felt his stomach clench when he realized he didn't see Cadence anywhere. But she wasn't in any of the cages, something else must've happened to her. He took another look around the ring and still didn't see her. His heart raced like an animal trapped in a cage.

"Flash! Look out!" He heard someone cry.

Before he could figure out what was going on, Barry was lifted up off his feet and thrown across the ring. He crashed into the side of the canon used to shoot out the human cannonball and fell to the ground. He rolled onto his stomach and looked up, staring as he found a very large, very muscular man standing in front of him. The man grinned, ends of his handlebar mustache twitching, and reached out towards Barry, lifting up with the ease of a toothpick.

With a cry, the man spun around and threw Barry as hard as he could. Barry flew across the ring and crashed into a concrete pole, cracking it in half and fell to the ground, the pole falling down around him. Pain shot through his arm and as he moved, he knew it was broken. Due to his painful breathing he could tell at least one of his ribs were cracked as well. Barry looked up as a portion of the tent collapsed and shakily got to his feet.

He took in a few deep breaths, psyching himself up. "Nathan Bliss," he roared, causing the ring master to turn his way. "What do you have against Central City?"

"You mean other than the one place where us freaks could go to be amongst others being torn down?" Mr. Bliss shot back. "Well, there's also the fact that our funding had been cut unfairly. Though it seems that you know that. You were the one that foiled our recent trip to the bank."

Barry's mind whirled, what was he talking about? Oh. That was it. One of the first things he had done when working on his powers was stop a bank robbery. He hadn't noticed the faces of any of them, stopping it within seconds. But there had been many of them around, and there was one man that had single handedly taken the door off of the vault. That must've been the man who had picked him up and threw him like a leaf.

"What do they say about you, Flash? That you're a freak? Then you should be glad to join us!"

Barry's arms were suddenly pinned at his sides and he found himself suddenly, painfully robbed from his breath. With a loud hiss in his ears, Barry twisted his head to the side and found that snakes were wrapped around his arms and legs.

"Joey Rose, lock him up!" Mr. Bliss called.

Barry was lifted off his feet and before he could blink, found himself shoved into the same sort of metal cage the others were. He tried to wriggle free but the snakes tightened around him, causing him to tilt his head back and cry out once more. It was then something caught his eye. From his vantage point he found Cadence crouching in the rafters, watching everything go on below them. He caught her eye and she brought a finger up to her lips, sending him a wink.

Nodding back, Barry waited in the corner of the cage, watching as Mr. Bliss and his circus acts all started to torture those that were waiting in their cages. Once more some started to scream at each other while others were screaming in abject terror. Barry continued to try and wiggle free, but every time he moved the snakes started to squeeze even tighter. He heard a distinct cracking sound and immediately froze. Mr. Bliss chuckled as he walked over to the cage Barry sat in.

"So, Flash, what is it that makes you hurt the most?" He asked. Barry gritted his teeth and stayed silent. "I have an idea based on what I've done for you before." He grinned a slow, evil grin, showing off all of his teeth; sharpened to a point. "Let's see how much of it you can handle now!"

Barry tilted his head back and screamed as the snakes encircled him even harder, this time combined with Mr. Bliss's powers of pain that he sent through him caused him the worst pain he had ever felt. Breathing through it, Barry squeezed open an eye and watched as Cadence continued to move undetected through the rafters until she reached the trapeze. Grabbing onto it she leaned backwards and jumped off the tiny platform. She swung forward through the air, let go at the last second, flipped once through the air, and stuck out her feet, hitting Mr. Bliss in the back, sending him forward into the metal cage, knocking him out.

"Back up," she said to Barry.

He shuffled backwards, wincing in pain, and watched as Cadence sent a stream of fire to the bars in front of him. Once they were molten red she grabbed them with her gloved hands and pulled hard, snapping them into tiny pieces. Then she grabbed onto the tail of the snakes, her hands still on fire. Barry gasped as he felt the snakes loosen against him and she pulled hard. Spinning in a quick circle, Barry found himself free form the snakes. He groaned in pain as his broken arm flung to the side, crashing into the side of the cage.

Reaching in, Cadence grabbed onto his broken arm and started to heal it as she pulled him out of the cage. "You should've stuck with gymnastics a little bit longer, Flash Fire," Barry said to her. "Maybe you could've gone and joined the circus."

"That's funny," Cadence said sarcastically. "Maybe you should've become a comedian." With the combined efforts of her healing as well as his body healing himself, Barry's arm quickly fixed itself. His ribs were going to have to wait. Turning around, he watched as the circus goes started to come their way.

Clenching her hand into a fist, Cadence pressed her hand against the ground and brought it up. A wall of fire followed her movement and the snake lady's snakes immediately launched themselves into the wall, incinerating them. Cadence then held out her hands and spun in a quick circle, causing the fire to encircle around them. Due to the intense heat of the flames, the lights within the tent went out, popping like sparks. Barry looked over at Cadence, finding flames flickering through her eyes.

She nodded at him and the side of his mouth turned up into a smirk, his eyes flashing with lightning. Lowering his head, he started to run around the perimeter of the circle as fast as he could. As he went around, a wind started to pick up, causing a fire tornado. Sensing that he ran fast enough, Barry stopped, the flames continuing to circle around. Cadence grinned and held up her hands, absorbing the flames as they continued to encircle around. He watched as her eyes turned a dark red, continuing to flicker, and then she did a strong punch forward.

The stream of fire shot out in a wide arc and struck the Central City Circus members, knocking them down. Once the fire cleared Barry took out those that had been captured in the cages and took them to safety.

"Now," Barry said, placing his hand on his hips as he looked down at the ring master. He clenched his teeth, thinking about how easy it was to manipulate him. He closed his eyes, seeing the image of his mother holding him down again, screaming at him, blaming him for not being able to take down the man that had murdered her.

If anything that just spurned him to work harder and run faster than he had ever done before. He was going to do it for his mother.

"What to do with you?"

* * *

Cadence jumped at the sound of a knock on the door to the apartment. _Calm down, Cade. It's not like what you saw is going to come true or anything._ It hadn't been long since she and the rest of Team Flash had put the circus metahumans down into the pipeline after making sure everyone was okay. They were shaken up, but okay. But she couldn't help but notice that Barry was more sullen than usual.

"You okay?" she asked him.

Barry looked at her, as if only noticing her for the first time since they arrived. Then he gave a small smile. "Yeah," he replied. "I'm fine."

"You promise?" Cadence raised an eyebrow.

"Promise."

She smiled a little. "Don't make a promise you can't keep," she warned him.

"I haven't yet," he had replied. Then the others had gone their separate ways, telling Cadence to wish Brady birthday again for them.

She looked over at Brady as he read a birthday card, spinning a gift card around his fingers as Conner inspected the action figure he had already opened. "Hey Conner, do you want to call your Mom and let her know everything's okay? I'm sure the phone lines are open now."

"Thank you, Miss. Nash," Conner said with a small smile. "I'll do that now."

"Please call me Cadence," she corrected him.

His eyebrows furrowed and his lips pursed. "Why?"

"Because I'm short, I'm constantly mistaken for being 12 years old, and I'm tired of being carded at R-Rated movies."

"Mom," Brady called as she walked towards the door. "Mr. Chase the landlord, gave me a card, too." He said. Then he leaned over to a big box. "And there's one from Oliver and the others! Can I open it?" Cadence came to a stop and turned to look at the large box. Who knew what was inside it if it came from Team Arrow? "Mom?"

"Carefully," she said. "Be _very_ careful."

"Ok!"

Chuckling, Cadence answered the door and invited Ryder inside. "Hey, is everything okay?" She asked him.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Ryder said, out of breath. He brushed his hair off his forehead and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "I came back to check on you guys after everything with the circus went down." He blew his hair from his forehead. "Like, I get that you guys are used to how everything is going around here in Central City, but I'm not." His eyes shifted to the side. "I wanted to be sure you were okay," he repeated.

Okay? That really depended on what his definition of okay was. There was that she still had the CPS waiting for another meeting with her, she and all of her friends were attacked while at the circus, ruining Brady's birthday—though he seemed to still be enjoying himself—Mr. Bliss and the rest of the Central City Circus were down in the pipeline, her son's best friend had been in the line of danger, Stratos's last visit still weighed heavily on her mind, Snart and Mick knew her real identity, and there was the little fact that she wasn't improving with her powers at all and was running the risk of not being able to meet rent for the next month.

Other than that, everything was peachy.

"We're all fine," She said. "Thanks for asking." She studied him carefully. "What about you? I think this is the first time you've run into Central City's meatahumans."

"Other than wanting to constantly pinch myself and ask if it was real?" Ryder replied. He shook his head, flicking his hair from his face. "I'm great. But, I wanted to talk to you about something. I haven't been completely honest with you about why I'm back here in Central City."

"So you _are_ a stripper," Cadence commented, her eyebrows rising.

Ryder chuckled. "No, it's not that." His eyes shifted over to Brady for a moment. "I came back because I wanted to get to know Brady better. I wanted to make up for the last eight years that I've missed with him. But, I've always wanted to be the father that I was supposed to be with him. Ever since my parents sent me to boarding school in California I always thought about you guys. I tried to track you down but you left Metropolis and it took a while for me to find you guys again." Cadence opened her mouth to say something but Ryder held up his hands. "Hold on, let me finish."

"I'm not saying that I want to get back together with you because I don't want that. I know you don't want that either. But I want to be able to give Brady the best life we can possibly give him and I think there's only one way to be able to do that." He licked his lips. "If you're willing to make it work, I'd like to have partial custody of him."

Cadence's mouth dropped open. She then closed it again and took a step back, peering up at him. This had to be a joke. Some sort of a way to get full custody, to take him away from her. To do…something. But she wasn't sure what. However a little voice in the back of her head told her she was wrong, that she still did know him as well as she used to, that she should trust him. Ryder tilted his head to the side and looked hard at her before waving a hand in front of his face.

"Cadey?" He asked. "Did you hear me?" Then his face cleared. "I'll give you some time to think about it." He started to back away. "I'll just head home. It's good to see you're okay."

Taking in a breath through her nose, Cadence stopped him. "Why don't you stay and watch him open the rest of his gifts?" She suggested. "I'm sure he'd like that."

Ryder grinned. "Okay."

He followed Cadence to the living room and sat down on the couch while Cadence sat on the floor next to Brady, watching in relief as he opened the mini salmon ladder that Team Arrow had given her. She felt her heart clench as she read the card that Team Arrow had sent, looking over Oliver's signature. It had obviously been acquired before his death, which made it that much harder to look at.

She set the card aside and reached over, ruffling Brady's hair. "Sorry your birthday had to be ruined," she said.

Brady sat back on his heels, shaking his head. "It wasn't ruined, Mom," he said. "I still had fun. We enjoyed the circus for a while, and we got saved by The Flash," Cadence rolled her eyes thinking, _show-off_ , and Brady continued with, "and all of my friends came. The party before we left was really fun. And you're here, and so's my best friend, and…Ryder." Brady nodded. "I had fun."

"Happy Birthday, bud," Cadence said.

Brady beamed. "Thanks, Mom."

If only she had his bright view of the world.

If only she wasn't aware of how much could go wrong so quickly.

* * *

Harrison wheeled through the front doors of his house and stood up from his wheelchair as soon as the doors closed behind him. Stretching his arms over his head he walked to the living room as the lights automatically came on around him, showcasing the extravagance of the humble abode. His body was ready for some time off, but the rest of his mind was already moving through the possibilities of having Nathan Bliss and the rest of the Metahuman circus in the pipeline. A man that could control emotions, a woman that could control snakes, a strongman, an invincible man, acrobats that could clone themselves. There was enough power there to make a lot of his plans work.

If only it weren't Brady's birthday that had been the basis for his findings. He felt bad seeing that his grandson wanted nothing more than to hang out with his friends. But he did seem to enjoy the party they had before going out to the circus. He certainly did enjoy the tablet he had bought for the boy; smiling to himself when Cadence gave him a moderately disapproving look. That was a point of being a grandfather wasn't it, to spoil him? Besides, it wasn't as if her gift of getting him an Xbox One along with a guitar was anything less than extravagant.

Harrison paused by his piano, resting his hand on the side of the instrument. He looked around the living room then back down the empty hallway, staring at the doors that lined them. Then he shook his head. No. It was too soon to even think about it, to even ask. He was enjoying the time he was getting to know his daughter and grandson, he couldn't push the topic yet.

 _I need a drink._ The thought immediately flashed into his mind and he walked over to the bourbon sitting nearby. He picked up a tumbler glass and filled it halfway with bourbon. Raising it to his lips, he took a sip, staring out into his spacious backyard before pulling his buzzing phone from his pocket.

"Harrison Wells," he answered. There was the sound of breathing on the other end.

 _"You know what you did,"_ it said then hung up.

Harrison stared at the phone for a moment then turned it off. Whatever the warning within the message was, it didn't bother him in the slightest.

There were plenty things that he had done. This guy just needed to be more specific.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, what did you guys think? I really liked the plot of the metahuman circus from the comics and thought it would be a cool idea to bring here, especially with Mr. Bliss's powers. And as you can see, Barry and Cade are really starting to work together now, as well as bonding a little bit more. Let's see how much further that can be pushed.

What do you think about Cisco now knowing about Caitlin and Wells? And what do you think Cade saw when she was put under Mr. Bliss's spell? What would you like to see more of as the story goes on? Also, Jay is Zoom?! I totally guessed that from a mile away, but as to how many Jays there are, that's an entirely other story, what did you all think of the reveal?

Also, thanks to everyone who has check out _Sparks Fly._

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	23. Miscommunications

**.:23:.**

* * *

"I'm kind of surprised you wanted to take a train to Starling rather than run there."

Barry turned away from his reflection in the window and looked at Cadence, raising his eyebrows. He lowered his hand from his mouth and turned his body to completely face her. He hadn't realized it would be so weird to anyone else. Then again being the fastest man alive had many perks. But sometimes he wanted to get some time to gather this thoughts as well as time to sleep. The train ride to Starling this time around gave him too much time to his thoughts—which moved as fast as his legs when he tapped into his speed.

He thought of the Rogues, the Black Flash, the Suicide Squad, the Assassination Bureau, his mother, his father, the CCPD, STAR Labs, and everything in between. But the only thing that was on his mind was why they were going to Starling in the first place; Oliver was alive. He was alive, just as Barry thought and never allowed himself to be pessimistic about. There was no way Oliver Queen would have been defeated so easily and finally the word got back to him that he was alive. Barry immediately jumped on the next train that would take them to Starling City, heart hammering like a caged bird. He could've gotten there within a few minutes but he needed the time to think.

Being a vigilante, responsibilities aside, was harder than he ever thought. Not just because of the danger he and others put themselves in every day, but because of the consequences he didn't allow himself to foresee. What would happen if there was a strong metahuman he couldn't defeat? What if the Reverse-Flash managed to kill him in battle? What would happen to Central City? What would happen to his family? Joe and Iris would be devastated and his father would then be in jail with no family left to see if and when he was released. Caitlin, Cisco, and Harrison would be out of jobs, again, they would've lost a great friend, the city would lose the Flash, and they'd suddenly put two and two together to know how he was. And _and_ and _and…_

"Barry?"

Finally Barry pushed his thoughts aside and looked up at Cadence as she sat across from him, legs crossed at the knee, hands in the pockets of a light jacket. "I just needed time to think," he replied. "About Oliver and what he's done for Starling City. They must've been helpless without him around." He ran his hands over his face leaning his head back against the head rest. "I talked to Felicity. I had to talk her down from the ledge a little bit. Team Arrow really broke up with Oliver willingly going to fight the League and not coming back. They did a great job trying to take down the city on their own but…it was hard for them. Knowing someone as strong as Oliver was gone and not knowing if he really was alive or not…"

"I guess that's what would happen if something happened to you," Cadence remarked, her eyebrow twitching upwards. "Central City really needs you. With more and more metahumans cropping up every day it's not something that can be taken lightly."

"I think you could handle it," Barry said to her.

Cadence smiled but didn't respond. Barry's eyes narrowed for a moment as he studied her. There was something wrong. He was sure of it. Even since Brady's birthday a few weeks before, even spending New Year's together with the rest of Team Flash she wasn't as bright and cheerful as she typically was and that worried him.

"Is everything okay?" He asked her. "You seem kind of quiet."

"Just thinking," She explained dismissively. "Nothing to worry about, Tholly." She blew her bangs from her face as Barry gave her a funny look. "I can see it in your face, you're starting to worry. There's nothing to worry about."

"You promise?" Barry asked her.

Cadence started to smile. "Promise. Besides, I think we spend a little too much time talking about me. You're always asking how I'm doing, how Brady's doing. What's going on with us…so what's going on with you, Barry?"

Barry thought for a minute, taken aback by her sudden change in conversation topic. "I don't know," he said honestly. "There are a lot of things going on, I guess. Not just with The Flash but in my personal life too? I don't know. Iris moved out with Eddie and I moved back in with Joe and I figured that it would've made me upset to know how real it was; Eddie and Iris. But I didn't feel anything at all." He shrugged. "Joe said I might've fallen out of love with Iris and I'm thinking he might be right. But then that makes me feel a little empty." Cadence crossed her legs the other way and continued to listen. "You were right earlier when you said I was afraid of being abandoned by her, too. But knowing that I don't feel for her the same way I used to, it's like everything that I held onto is gone. Even if it's still there."

Realizing how much of his guts he had just spilled, Barry tugged at the collar of his shirt and cleared his throat. "That doesn't make a lot of sense does it?"

"No, actually, it makes a lot of sense," Cadence said. She thought for a moment, tilting her head to the side. "It's like you broke up with her even though you two never went out. Your feelings for her were real, Barry. You can't take that away."

Nodding, Barry pulled at the collar of his shirt again. He didn't know why but he really didn't want to talk about Iris, especially with Cadence. He didn't want her to think that he was still chasing after her. Then again why would that bother him so much? Barry cleared his throat again, shifting his gaze down. _Think of something else, Barry. Don't worry about that now._ His eyes landed on his shirt and he said lamely, "for the occasion I probably should've worn green."

"Why? Your favorite color is blue." Cadence looked at him innocently, eyes widening slightly when Barry suddenly turned back her way. "What?"

 _How'd you know that?_ Barry tried to ask the question out loud but found in his surprise the words wouldn't form. He didn't think he had ever mentioned it let along have it up on his Facebook profile. Of which he remembered Cisco admitting that he had looked through all the while Barry was in the coma. (It couldn't have been that interesting of a profile, he didn't use it so much to connect with his peers rather than with academic colleagues and shared interesting facts he found online. And expressed his love for Lady Gaga of course).

Cadence smiled again, that peculiar smile. "I know a lot of things about you, Barry. At the risk of sounding like a stalker I know almost everything about you. I know your favorite color is blue. I know you'd like to eat cronuts more if it wasn't for the long lines to get them. Understandably, you're a bit of a mama's boy. Along with Lady Gaga you like to listen to Jason Mraz and Queen. Your lucky number is 9. You go to CC Jitters to hang out with Iris just as much as you like the atmosphere. You have dinner at Detective West's house nearly every night. Whenever you're brooding your face kind of…puckers." Her eyebrows lowered and lips lifted as if trying to imitate his expression. "Before moving and before the 'incident' you got back from your shift at the CCPD at about 7; two hours late because you're late to nearly everything as well as you would let Captain Singh talk you into working a bit longer. Whenever Captain Singh angered you, you would take balls of paper and throw them into the trashcan across the room to stave off your anger. When you were in your apartment you would usually have Instant meals for dinner, because you can't cook much, and watch Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, and Game of Thrones. You watch Lifetime in secret, claiming Iris made you watch it even though you did it on your own.

"You run your hands through your hair when you're frustrated, you're more sensitive than you would like to admit, and you have such a bit heart that you would help nearly anyone even if you're not strong enough to do it." Cadence shifted her eyes for a minute. "Oh and you like to walk around the park when it's a beautiful day and you're on a lunch break."

Barry felt his mouth drop open.

"When I was part of the Assassination Bureau I had to watch you for a long time, figure out your schedule, your circle of friends, and your normal routine. Through that time I got to know a lot about you. On the surface, anyway."

 _Wow._ For a split second Barry was a bit horrified to know he had been watched for so long and didn't know about it. But then he felt comforted. He and Cadence had already gotten along because of being metahumans; it was a nice change to have met someone that knew everything he was going through while he worked through his powers. But to know there was some else out there that understood him in a more intimate way—he had to force himself not to blush at the thought—was something he didn't realize he needed. Iris had been the one to do that for him before, Joe as well, but they were his family. This was someone different. _Something_ different.

And it made him feel more alive than ever.

"You know, I probably should find that to be really creepy," Barry said, finally finding his voice. "But now that I don't need to hide my love of Instant Meals anymore…"

"I figured you would be making some sort of a confession about watching Lifetime," Cadence teased. "And maybe about Hallmark, too."

"Oh. No. That's going to stay a secret," Barry said, holding up his hand. "If Cisco ever found out that I like to watch those movies along with the 'classics'"—he used air quotes around the words—"I don't think I'd ever be able to get him off my back. I don't know if you noticed, but he can get really intense about pop culture."

"I noticed." Cadence laughed back.

"I want to apologize," he said. Now Cadence looked confused. "For not really being fair in our friendship and talking about myself. You were right when you said I'm always asking about how you guys are doing but I don't talk about myself. I guess I don't want to because I don't want to be reminded of my Mom. It's been so long and I've really come to terms with it…but with the Reverse Flash being back it's like everything came flooding back to me. Then I start to think about that night over and over. What if I could've saved her? What if I ran in and got her to safety? Would Dad be in jail right now?" He shook his head. "You've been really open with me since we met and I haven't done the same."

"Don't worry about it," Cadence said with a wave of her hand. "I understand it can be hard to open yourself up. Especially with everything that surrounds all of us. I mean, I couldn't quite tell you that I was part of the Assassination Bureau when we met, right?" She sniffed. "I mean, I was being mind-controlled at the time, but…"

"I get it." Barry smiled gently. "You don't have to apologize about that anymore." Feeling the train shifting under his feet, Barry leaned over and looked out the window to find the landscape beside the train slowing down. "Hey, I think we're here."

Barry watched as the familiar Starling City landscape rolled to a stop and felt himself grinning. He turned to Cadence, finding she was smiling in excitement as well. The two waited for the train to empty out before using their powers to race to Verdant and down to the basement where the Arrow Cave was situated. Barry looked around the empty room, taking in the computer monitors and exercise equipment that was laid out.

"So they really don't sit around down here all day?" Barry asked in a low whisper, his voice coming out raspy amongst the humming of the machine. "How do they know if something is going wrong?" He suddenly had a newfound respect for Caitlin, Cisco, and Harrison, who spent most of their free time at STAR Labs.

"You know what I'm wondering?" Cadence asked her voice slightly louder than Barry's. She placed her hands on her hips, looking around. "Why everyone is always going on and on about the lack of security at STAR Labs and we were able to just waltz down here."

"Thank you for bringing that to my attention." Barry smiled and turned around to find Oliver strolling their way, hands clasped behind his back. "I'll be sure to increase security so that we're not like STAR Labs where everyone can waltz in." He came to a stop and looked back and forth from the metahumans with a smile. "It's nice to see you, both."

"It's good to see you, too." Barry held out his hand and Oliver grasped it in his before the two came together in a man-hug. He squeezed him tightly, feeling Oliver let his defenses down and hug him back just as tightly. In many ways he saw Oliver as his older brother, not just because of their shared responsibilities to their cities, but because Barry was one of the first ones that had learned his secret. He smiled to himself, remembering how much Oliver had disliked him upon sight—probably partially because of Barry's flirting with Felicity—before growing to trust the younger man. Hearing that Oliver was dead, spurning him to go to the ends of the Earth to find him just reminded him of his work to get faster.

He needed to get faster to beat the Reverse-Flash. He needed to beat the Reverse-Flash to prove his father's innocence. His father's innocence would release him from jail and they could move forward. Oliver being back was the first step in that plan.

Finally, Barry took a step back and Cadence had her chance at a hug. Barry smiled as Cadence whacked Oliver on the arm, fretting over him in a way Caitlin did with him, and hugged him again. "What happened? When we heard what happened I went looking everywhere for you." Barry still remembered how tired he had become when racing everywhere he could think of that Oliver would have been fighting Ra's Al Guhl and came up empty-handed each time his heart sinking every time.

"Well, I don't believe you've gone as far as to search Nanda Parbat," Oliver explained. "Then again, that's not surprising as not many people are aware of where it is." He cleared his throat before strolling across the Arrow Cave. "Thanks for stopping by, there were a lot of things I wanted to bring up to you two that I'm sure you would be glad to know."

"How about you tell us what happened with you, first?" Cadence asked. She walked up to his side and tilted her head back to get a good look at him. Then she frowned and took a large step back so that she didn't have to strain to see him clearly, emphasizing their massive height difference. "Last we heard the League was attacking the city, not that you were going to go after them, 'Liver."

Oliver smiled a little at the nickname. "Yes, well, that was before they threatened Thea's life along with the rest of Starling City," he explained. "That was something I couldn't have happen. I knew it was risky but I had to go. Ra's did defeat me and as far as he's concerned I'm still dead." He turned around and faced Barry and Cadence, crossing his arms over his chest.

Barry's eyes widened in surprise and admiration. This was the man, the superhero, he could only hope he could become. Someone who didn't think twice about his abilities to save Central City even if that meant throwing away his own life. Someone who would do anything to come back from near-death. Someone who continued to be a beacon for the rest of the city. Oliver had told him before that he was the hope Central City needed, that he was the sort of hero people needed that Oliver could never be. Maybe it really was true.

"And I need him to think that as long as possible," Oliver continued. "You can tell the others that I'm alive again, for anyone else that doesn't know us it was like I was on vacation." He paused for a moment. "I let my team down. They had to fight to try and save this city as long as they could before I came back and I had no way of letting them know I was alive. I'm very lucky that they were able to forgive me."

Licking his lips, Barry took a step forward. "The last time Felicity called me, she said the team had broken up for a while. She didn't think you were dead…Roy and Diggle weren't sure."

Oliver closed his eyes briefly. He nodded. "In some ways I think it was better they didn't believe I was alive. They wouldn't have been targeted. Holding out hope…that can damage someone just as much as knowing the truth." He opened his eyes once more. "That's why I told Thea the truth. I had to tell her that I was the Green Arrow."

"How'd she take it?" Cadence asked. Her voice was nearly a whisper, feeling empathy for him.

Barry held his breath. Cadence had let Brady know from a young age about her powers and he had been very excited when she joined Team Flash. But the excitement of a young boy that continued to enjoy superhero antics was different than telling someone you had known your whole life. Joe had been scared and a bit distant with his abilities at first before he came to terms with it. But Iris…even Eddie…that was harder. He was keeping the secret to protect them. _Maybe they'd take it well,_ he thought.

"Thea took it a lot better than I expected," Oliver said honestly. "She thanked me for everything I'd done for her and the city." He took a deep breath. "There are a lot of changes going on around here. Laurel has taken up the vigilante ideal as the Black Canary after Sara…" he trailed off, turning away for a minute. "Thea knows about everything we do down here." He bobbed his head. "Palmer Tech is running well."

"Wait, wait," Cadence broke in. "Palmer Tech? What happened with Queen Industries?"

Barry leaned towards her. "You don't really keep up with technological news do you?" She shrugged and Barry caught Oliver's eye as the older man smiled a little. "Maybe its better that you don't have the stake in the company anymore," he said slowly. "That way you can focus more on what's going on in Starling City."

"Well, there's a new member of the Suicide Squad I think you should be aware of. Her name's Carrie Cutter or Cupid as she was named—"

"—Good one," Cadence said with a smile.

"And some Vertigo is being distributed again," Oliver continued. "We had to give some to Laurel so that she could work through her issues and work well as Black Canary." He ran a hand over his face. "When I started this whole thing I never thought there would be so many people brought into this. But I guess no one had a choice."

"Oliver, your city would have burned to the ground without your help," Barry explained. He walked over to the older vigilante and placed his hand on his shoulder. "You keep saying you're not the kind of hope the city has to look to for guidance. You may not have started out that way, but you are _now_. And that's all that matters. Oliver, you've been through a lot and despite that you've managed to inspire everyone. Roy, Diggle, Felicity, Laurel…me. I wouldn't be The Flash without you." Oliver pressed his lips together and Barry could still see the doubt in his eyes. "I need to thank you more than anyone else and I don't think you'd ever take it."

"He wouldn't," Cadence broke in. "Liver can take a lot of things, but praise isn't really one of them."

Oliver grinned, laughing a little. "Thanks for that, Cade. It's good to know I have you on my side, too." He took a deep breath through his nose. "I meant what I said, Barry. When I said you could be great for Central City. You are." He looked at Cadence. "Both of you. So much more than you think. No matter what comes in your way you have to remember that you're not just working on your own, you're working together. And if you remember that, you can get through anything."

"Such as Brady now having powers?" Cadence asked slowly. Oliver's eyes widened and she nodded. "Yeah, it turns out he was affected by the Particle Accelerator explosion, too. He's got the power of phasing."

"Phasing huh?" Oliver replied. "That could come in handy."

"For my nerves? Not really. For the rest of Central City? Sure."

The three continued their conversation for a few more minutes, catching each other up before Barry and Cadence went back to Central City. This time they forewent the scenic route back to Central City with the use of their powers. Instead of going to STAR Labs, Barry went to Iron Heights. His mind was blank as he went through the motions of security before being taken to the glass that separated him from the inmate.

He looked up as his father sat down in the seat across from him. He picked up the phone and placed it to his ear. "Two times in the space of a month, slugger," he greeted his son. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Nothing really," Barry replied. "I just wanted to come see you. To see how your New Year's went."

Henry smiled a little, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Well, no one died, so I'll bring that up to a big success. Other than that, they were pretty uneventful." He held up his finger. "Actually that's not true. There was a talent show here on that day, for entertainment I guess. And some people in here can really sing. You should've been here; you could sweep the floor with any of them."

Barry laughed. "I don't think so. My singing talents started and ended with the fourth-grade talent show."

"Barry, it wasn't that bad."

"The only thing that can top it was my tryouts for football." Barry shuddered, feeling the shame and embarrassment settle over him once more. "And I thought I would be able to block that out by now." He rolled his eyes as Henry laughed. "I thought everyone would've stopped laughing about that by now. You weren't even there."

"Oh, but I wish I was, slugger. I wish I was." Henry wiped away the tears that gathered at the corners of his eyes. "I'm sorry. But I think we all knew from a young age that you weren't very coordinated so I don't know why you thought you would try out for football." Barry gave him a look. "Oh, right. Because of Iris."

"Not everything I did was because of Iris," Barry defended himself. _Okay, maybe there were some things. But that didn't mean you had to throw it back in my face, dad._

"Mmm, most of them, yeah." Henry took in a breath through his nose. He looked his son directly in the eyes and smiled, causing Barry to smile back. "But you always did have the habit of putting all of your focus on something as soon as you set your mind to it."

"I learn from the best."

* * *

Harrison looked up from his computer as he noticed the door to his office opening. He placed his hand on the computer mouse, ready to close down what he was looking at before he noticed it was Cadence coming through the door. He smiled at her. "Hello Cadence," he greeted his daughter. "What can I do for you, today?"

"Maybe you can keep Cisco and Caitlin away from me," Cadence said, pulling her hair behind her shoulders. "Since Barry and I got back from Starling City they've been all over me to try and figure out the extent of my powers again." She shook her head, lowering her gaze. "I really don't think that's going to help anything."

"It's not helping because you're not allowing yourself to get past the plateau you're stuck at," Harrison pointed out. He released the computer mouse and placed his hands in his lap. "If Barry is able to get faster by each passing day, why can't you?"

Cadence chewed her lower lip for a moment. "I don't know about you, Harrison, but the idea of having a seizure every time I try isn't very exciting to me." She shook her head. "I've dealt with them before. I can tell when they're coming on. I don't want to have to stop fighting because it's coming again. Besides, I don't think there are enough industrial fans in STAR Labs to help cool me down."

Harrison smiled to himself. It wasn't something he actually found entertaining rather than amusing that she thought they couldn't get her past whatever was blocking her. They weren't one of the most well known laboratories in the world for nothing (the explosion of the Particle Accelerator aside). "Well, hopefully this time around we won't need to worry about it." He pulled his wheelchair back and slid it around the desk until he was sitting next to her.

He studied her face, the perfect combination of hers and Tess's. Despite having to sit back and long to let her know he was there for her year after year now he could finally do something about his feelings. Kent and Maya now knew about her knowing Harrison and Tess were her real parents; now he didn't have to act like a stranger.

"What is going on in that head of yours?" He asked. "I don't believe it has much to do with your trip to Starling City to greet Mr. Queen." His hands clenched in his lap. "You haven't been yourself lately."

A smile tugged at Cadence's lips as she turned to face her father. "Barry said the same thing on the way there."

"Mr. Allen can be very perceptive when he wants to be," Harrison agreed. "Unless this issue has to do with Barry?" Cadence shook her head and he smiled. "I didn't think so." Reaching out, Harrison took Cadence's hands in his. He could feel her holding tightly on him, the way he hoped she would have done many years before. "Whatever it is I believe with our combined smarts we can figure out what it is."

"That's it," Cadence said. She shook her head. "That's the problem. I'm not smart. Not as smart as you and Caitlin and Cisco and Barry. I don't know what I'm doing here. I'm not doing anything other than helping Barry out on the battlefield. But what am I doing at STAR Labs? It's not like I can be a medic, Caitlin already has that job. You're the one that tells us what to do, knows how to push us forward and to keep our spirits up. Cisco is the one that designs the suits and continues to map out the city so all of you can help us figure out where to go. Where do I fit?"

Harrison squeezed her hands. He thought for a moment, unsure of the way he wanted to answer the question. As it was, he wasn't quite sure where she fit as well. She worked just as hard as Barry did, before she would stop herself, didn't complain, and had come up with some great ideas that had thwarted metahumans before. As she was still finishing her schooling he could understand why she would feel inferior to everyone else.

"Cadence, there's always a place for everyone to be," he explained. "No matter how long it takes for it to be found. There's a reason you're here in Central City even if you can't find it yet. Once you're finished with residency—"he broke off as Cadence snorted loudly. "What?"

"I was kicked out of residency," she admitted. "About a month ago. I spent so much time helping Central City that I continued to disappear from my shifts and coming in late and they couldn't keep me on anymore." She slapped her hand to her thigh, shaking her head incredulously. "Now I've been kicked out, I still have CPS coming to check up on me, I don't have a job, and I made it so that Snart and Mick could find us at a moment's notice because they know what I look like." She shook her head. "If I knew I was going to be this much trouble I might've stuck around Metropolis for a while."

Sucking in a deep breath, Harrison reached out and grabbed the arms of her chair and turned her to face him. She tried to lower her head and Cadence took her face in his hands, lifting it up so that he was forced to look at her. "Listen to me," he said in a low voice. "You are destined for a lot more in this life than you're giving yourself credit for. You have your powers for a reason. You came to Central City for a reason. You've been helping the Flash for a reason. Just because things aren't working out right now does not mean that you haven't been a big help. Without you, there have been many times that Barry might've failed against the metahumans we've seen. You're very intelligent, Cadence. Don't you dare question yourself like this again just because you haven't found yourself."

Cadence smiled a little, nodding.

Harrison smiled back and removed his hands from her face. As he dropped them back to his lap Harrison realized he was shaking. A plethora of emotions flew through his gut, causing them to tangle as they continued to fly through him. He felt rage and irritation for having to comfort her along with a sense of compassion and love for the exact same reason. For the past couple of months his emotions continued to fluctuate like a rollercoaster. A few times he felt intense hatred for everyone in STAR Labs and wanted nothing more for them to get as far away from him as possible but within the next few minutes it would switch back to his admiration for them.

Now he was feeling the same way about his daughter. There was something wrong and he really needed to figure out what was going on. Many times it was as if he had two different voices in his head; his and that one voice that continued to whisper and hiss at him when he was alone. As it was, he inwardly suppressed the urge to put his hands around her neck and choke her out as she was getting in his way. Closing his eyes, Harrison concentrated hard on the feeling and pushed it away, allowing the love he felt for her to come back.

"I think I may have something you can do around here," he finally said. "I believe it was Mr. Allen that suggested it first and you mentioned it?" Cadence tilted her head to the side. "You could be the physical therapist. Not only could I benefit from it because I don't typically trust my own doctor…" he chuckled to himself, glancing down at his motionless legs. "But it'll certainly help Barry bounce back from his encounters with metahumans. I can't help but notice he's become a bit slow in that area."

"I thought I was the only one who noticed," Cadence remarked.

Harrison smiled.

"Thanks Harrison," She said, standing up. "That really helped." She looked like she wanted to say something else, looked like she wanted to take a step towards him; to give him a hug maybe? But then she gave him another smile and started to leave the room, only stopping when Harrison's cell phone went off.

Reaching into his pocket, Harrison illuminated the screen. That same unknown caller. He didn't need to answer to know who it was. He reversed his wheelchair and parked himself behind his desk. His computer regained his attention. He was coming close to a breakthrough; he just needed to find it.

"Who was that?" Cadence asked curiously.

"No one," Harrison said. He squinted against the glare of his computer. "It's a wrong number."

* * *

The next morning started with something no one at STAR Labs expected; to be brought out to Harrison Well's house. However that wasn't where the day started. It started out as a typical one with Caitlin and Cisco watching the streets of Central City while Cadence and Barry raced around, sending their aid in as many ways as they could.

"Guys, watch out it looks like they're going to split up!"

"There's an intersection coming up. Hurry."

Cadence glanced over her shoulder at Barry as the two raced down the streets of Central City, chasing after the four members of the Royal Flush gang. The gang sped down the streets on their revving motorcycles, hoping to lose the two metahumans and the police that followed along behind them. Even as the lights changed to a red one, the motorcyclists continued to breeze through the streets. The fire metahuman and speedy metahuman came to a stop, twisting back and forth.

Breathing heavily, Barry brought his hand up to his ear piece. "Guys, which way do we go?" He asked.

"Left," Caitlin said at the same time Cisco said, "Right!" There was a brief pause before they did it again, "Right!""Left!"

"Stop! Stop!" Barry cried, quickly growing desperate. "You're telling me two different things."

"This is taking up too much time," Cadence declared, her fingers on her comm-link as well. She turned and got Barry's attention. "Split up left and right and then they can give us directions on which way to go to catch these guys."

"You got it," Barry replied. The two high-fived before taking off down the streets once more; Cadence taking the path to the left and Barry taking the one to the right. With Harrison, Caitlin, and Cisco's help the two managed to bring the four Royal Flush gang members together into one intersection, causing them to stop before running into each other. Barry then zipped around them, taking the keys out of their motorcycles, leaving them powerless before Cadence sent out a cloud of smoke, causing them to pass out.

Then the two arrived back at STAR Labs with wide grins of encouragement. Reaching up, Cadence pulled off her goggles before giving Barry a high-ten. "Great job out there," She congratulated him.

"Couldn't have done it without your help," Barry replied. The two laughed as they walked through the doors of the cortex and Barry and Cisco exchanged a low-five. "Woo! I'm the man!"

"A man that had help," Caitlin reminded him.

"Hey, I just gave Cade her props," Barry reassured her. "You just weren't there to see it."

"But good looking out, Cait," Cadence said, putting her arm around her best friend's shoulders. "Sometimes it's hard to get some recognition with the male ego around here." She smiled cheekily at Barry, causing him to roll his eyes.

"Yes, yes, you two certainly deserve the congratulations," Harrison said. He came to a stop beside them, beaming. "You worked very efficiently together."

"This calls for a picture," Cisco declared.

Barry immediately shook his head. "Pretty sure rule number one of being a superhero is _not_ taking a picture in your super suit without a mask on." He turned to Cadence and leaned towards her, causing her to smile and lean back out of the way. "Right, Cade?" He laughed as she reached out and pushed his face away from hers.

"That was an accident," She defended herself. "I didn't think Mick would actually take off my goggles like that. And so far nothing is happened so I think I'm an exception to the rule."

"Oh come on," Cisco broke in. "Please? This is just for us. To document all this."

"Brady's gonna be jealous he missed out," Cadence surmised.

"Envious," Barry said. "The correct term would be envious."

"Whatever, Barry. You're just 'envious' that you're not faster or stronger than me." Barry's smile immediately faded, causing Cadence to laugh again.

"That's not a good idea. We can't have the evidence of what we're doing get in the wrong hands," Caitlin protested.

"Who knows? Maybe people in the future will want to know how 'all this' happens," Harrison said. Caitlin gave him a stunned look and he shrugged in reply, moving his wheelchair to get into place for the photo.

Barry reached out and plucked Cisco's cell phone from his hands. "Alright. But we all need to be in the picture."

"First let me put on some make-up," Caitlin said, placing a hand on her cheek.

"Oh, me too," Cadence added, a pained expression on her face. She leaned to the side and looked into the reflective surface of a nearby table. "All that working out, I think I sweated it all off."

"Get a life, Cait. No one in the future cares about your makeup, Caitlin," Cisco said. He walked around the table and put his hands on her shoulders to steer her into position despite Caitlin's protests.

"Mm-mm," Barry agreed. He then turned to Cadence. "And besides, you look great even without wearing makeup." He grinned and focused the camera app on everyone, making sure they were in the photo in the right spots. "Okay, everyone ready? 1…2…3!" With aid of his super speed he set the timer on the shutter function in the camera, raced behind the group to get in the picture, the camera flash went off, and he raced back to catch the phone before it fell. "Awesome!"

"Does that count as a selfie?" Caitlin asked, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

"Absolutely," Barry said. He chuckled, tossing the phone over to Cisco. Then he stopped in front of Harrison. "Thanks for talking us through things out there. I think Cadence and I would've been stuck if it weren't for you taking the reins from frick and frack over there." He tossed his head over to his friends, who were looking over the photo.

"My pleasure." Harrison smile. "Well done. I have to say it was a bit of a rush pretending to be a—"

"—a hero?" Barry broke in. "Yeah, well you're good at it."

Barry watched as Harrison's smile slowly faded. He continued to watch him then opened his mouth to say something. But his cell phone rang, cutting him off. Barry zoomed over to it and picked it up. He looked at the screen and saw it was Joe. "Hey Joe," he greeted the detective, bringing his phone to his ear.

"Are you at STAR Labs right now?" Joe asked.

Barry immediately felt his stomach clench. Something had to be going on. "Yeah, why? What's up?"

"You need to get to Harrison Wells's place. It looks like someone broke in."

Barry relayed the information to Harrison and while Caitlin and Cisco rushed to get the man home, Cadence and Barry changed back from their suits into their street clothes. Then Barry hurried up to the crime scene, arriving at the outskirts and walked up to the scene as if he had just arrived. As he walked up the gravel driveway his mouth dropped open at how extravagant the house was. _How can someone in Dr. Wells's condition live here by himself?_

The second thing he noticed as he and Joe went inside was all of the glass that littered the floor. Then the others arrived and Harrison shook his head as he wheeled himself into the house. Barry turned and watched him as he navigated through the glass. Cisco and Cadence looked around in surprise while Caitlin stood off to the side, tightly holding onto her purse and glancing at Harrison every few seconds.

"I'm sorry about your house," Barry apologized to Harrison.

"Don't be," Harrison replied. "It's just a pranker. Not only have I been receiving calls from them for the past couple of days but there are many people that don't believe I've suffered enough from the Particle Accelerator explosion. I guess someone made good on their word."

"Yeah, but no one deserves this," Caitlin pointed out. She looked up at the sky-light, wincing when she realized it was now quite literally a sky-light.

"As it is I don't think the police should've been called," Harrison said. He blinked up at the sky-light. "I'll be a little chilly for a couple of days."

"But you can't stay here," Caitlin protested. "Not when this has happened. Whoever it was may come back."

"Then I'll get a hotel reservation."

Barry watched as Harrison wheeled off to get some privacy and turned back to Cisco who was looking around in wide-eyed wonder. "This place is sick," he said. "I can't believe we've never been here before."

"You've never been here before?" Barry repeated.

"Never," Caitlin quickly agreed. She shrugged sheepishly as the others all turned to her. "I-I mean, he really likes to keep his private life…private." She turned and looked at Cisco as he looked back at her. His eyebrows lowered and then immediately shot upwards as his eyes widened.

"Oh!" He cried, clapping a hand over his mouth.

"Oh, what?" Cadence asked, tilting her head to the side.

"No—nothing. Just, I thought I might've steppe don some glass." Cisco explained. He shifted his foot and placed it down on another pile of glass. It crunched loudly. "But then I remembered I was wearing shoes so…yeah." He pointed at Cadence. "You've never been here before? Tell me you've never been here before." Now he smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, I've been here a few times," Cadence explained. "I guess sort of a field trip for our 'father-daughter' bonding times." She rolled her eyes at her own joke. "But Cait's right. He really does like his privacy. It's why he lives in the middle of nowhere. I keep telling him that in his condition he should move somewhere else but he's stubborn."

"He might've been here with Tess," Caitlin pointed out. "Before her passing."

"Yeah," Barry agreed, throat going closed. "It would be hard to move away." He remembered how forcefully he was taken from his own him. How much he resented the CCPD for placing him with Joe and Iris when he wanted to stay home in case one of his parents came back. Getting rid of his mother's possessions was the worst part. Having to part with everything that tied her to the house, to his _life_ was harder than anything imaginable.

"Hey Bare?" Barry turned to find Joe calling to him. "Do you mind checking this out a bit? See what caused the glass to come down? Eddie and I have something to discuss." As Barry nodded his eye shifted over to Eddie. Eddie looked back at him with a strange expression in his eyes that continued to deepen as he looked at Harrison from time to time.

Rather than questioning it, Barry walked into the middle of the room where the glass lay and looked up towards the sky. It appeared that every pane had shattered and rained down below. _What could've done this?_ He asked himself, mind immediately going to a metahuman. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Barry looked up to find Cadence standing above him with a pair of latex gloves in her hands. Barry smiled his thanks as he took the gloves, his fingers brushing over hers, and pulled them on. He checked to make sure no other CCPD officers were watching before he started to piece some of the glass together. Maybe if he got a big enough pane he could see what had caused it to shatter.

He got halfway through one piece before Harrison's voice caught his attention. "I wouldn't bother with that, Mr. Allen. We all know what it was that caused the glass to break. Or in this case, what it wasn't."

Barry twisted around from his crouched position. Harrison sat nearby, blue eyes boring into his. The long eye-contact let him know his initial thoughts were indeed correct. "Meta?" He asked.

"Meta," Harrison agreed. He brought up his hand and started to rub his thumb over his fingers. Noticing the movement, Barry's eyes flicked over to Cadence and found she was doing the same thing, at the same tempo as her father. "As it is, I already know who did it. Hartley Rathaway?"

"As in the Rathaways who were just attacked by Snart and Mick?" Cadence asked. It was then she noticed the irritated expressions on Caitlin's and Cisco's faces. They had shown up as soon as Harrison mentioned his attacker. "Okay, I already apologized about Mick seeing my face you don't need to—"

"I hate that guy," Cisco growled.

"I don't usually partake in the feelings of intense dislike against other people, but I'm inclined to agree," Caitlin said.

"Wait." Barry placed his hand on his forehead, rubbing his temples. "Who's Hartley Rathaway?"

"The prodigal son as it were," Harrison said dismissively. "And it appears he has a score to settle with me."

"Got it." Barry gave a thumbs up. He could tell just by the look on Harrison's face that he wasn't going to get anymore information out of him that day. His assumption had been correct. Once Joe and Eddie returned from another portion of the house, Barry explained to Joe it was a metahuman behind Harrison's attack. With Joe's quick thinking and explanation to Eddie, they were able to get back to STAR Labs with little to no incident.

Harrison immediately disappeared into his office while Caitlin moved to her computer, immersed in whatever it was that she was looking through, Cisco went to clean up Barry's and Cadence's suits, walking away while berating the two for getting their suits 'dirty', and Cadence disappeared from the Cortex saying she needed to call and leave a voicemail with her work. Barry ran his hands through his hair then stretched his arms over his head before turning to Caitlin. He watched her for a moment, seeing her chew her bottom lip then asked her about it.

"Are you okay? You're doing that biting your lower lip thing when you're thinking about something."

"Me? No! I'm fine. I'm…fine." Caitlin turned back to her computer and started to breeze through a few pages. Then she whipped back around, crossing her arms as she pouted. "Cisco says I have no life."

Startled, Barry started to laugh. "He said that when you wanted to put on make-up for a picture, Caitlin. Not in general." He paused. "You don't…do you?" He laughed as Caitlin pouted even further. "I don't mean the insultingly, anyway."

"I do have a life! I cook and I eat…" Eyebrows rising, Barry crossed his arms. This was going to be good. Caitlin started to pace as she thought about what else she did. "And I read…" she motioned towards the computer. Then she turned back and pointed to him. She scratched the back of her head. "And I help you…"

Barry couldn't help it. He laughed again. "So what you're saying is you do everything that has nothing to do with having a life."

Caitlin smacked him on the arm. "You don't need to be rue about it."

Now grinning, Barry held his hands up defensively. "Hey, I'm not doing any better than you. My social life consists of running at superhero speed and Netflix."

Caitlin smiled and laughed along with him. "We are quite the pair, Mr. Allen," She said, turning back to her computer. Barry agreed and stepped up behind her, glancing at the screen. "F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M.," he read aloud. "What's that?" Without giving Caitlin a chance to respond he reached over and sped-read the entire document of over 300 pages, taking in everything with a fine eye. Once finished, he turned to Caitlin, who was chewing her lower lip again. "Does this have to do with Ronnie?" He asked.

"It's something he said to me before he told me to stop looking for him. I had to know for sure. I'm not sure _what_ I had to know. But…I did."

"I understand. But Caitlin, if he doesn't want you looking for him…."

"I'm not looking for him!" Her voice took on a sudden icy tone. "I'm just trying to understand."

"Okay, okay." Barry held his hands up and backed away from her. "But you know, after the whole circus thing and what's going on with Harrison, I think we all need a break. A night off. So let's go out and get something to drink tonight."

Caitlin twisted around in her seat. "But you can't get drunk," She pointed out.

"I know. But I could use the company. Let Cisco know, I'll catch Cade before I check out that carjacking. They can't get too far that I can't catch them, right?" He grinned and walked out of the cortex, taking long strides as he went. Turning a corner he found Cadence hanging up her phone and turning to him. She gasped loudly when she caught sight of him and teleported backwards. "Oh, sorry."

"Don't do that, Tholly!" She cried. "You fucking scared me to death."

"Or you're a little jumpy," Barry teased. "The clowns must be getting to you." He crossed his arms. "Listen, are you doing anything tonight?" Cadence shook her head. "I was thinking of going out somewhere, to a club or something. Just to have a night off, to have some fun. Do you want to come?"

For a moment Cadence looked at him in confusion, then her eyes lit up and she smiled. "That sounds like a really good idea, actually. Thanks. I'd love to go."

"Great." Barry started to step around her then turned back, snapping his fingers. "Oh wait. What about Brady?"

"I was just going to take him over to Ryder's place," Cadence said. She sighed. "He said he wants partial custody over Brady but I don't think that's a good idea. Not yet. So I'm going to give him visitation rights, and what time is as good as this to use him as a babysitter right?" She smiled again and Barry found himself smiling back.

He couldn't help it.

Her smile was infectious.

"I know a place that we can go, I've been there a few times. It's really cool." She paused. "Were you going somewhere?"

"Car theft. I can handle it. See you tonight."

"See you."

* * *

Opening her bathroom door, Cadence was followed out by an avalanche of steam. She tied her hair up into a towel as she crossed to her closet. There was a quiet knock on her bedroom door. "Come in!" Cadence turned around to find Brady standing in the doorway, looking at her in her bathrobe before walking over to the bed and sitting down on the end. "What's up, bud?"

"Ryder said he'll be here in twenty minutes," Brady reported. "He texted me. He said he's on his way." He looked her up and down then frowned. "Where are you doing?"

"Getting ready to go out," Cadence replied.

Brady's eyes immediately lit up and a bright smile stretched across his face. "On a date?" He asked. Before Cadence could respond he was already dashing to her closet. "Can I help you pick out an outfit?" Cadence winced and turned away, expecting to find Brady running head-first into the solid door, but he slipped through it as if it weren't there. "Brady!"

He stuck his head back through the door, looking curiously at her. "What?"

Stunned, Cadence leaned over and opened the door. "Nothing."

"Okay!"

Amused, Cadence sat down on her bed and watched as Brady walked in and out of her closet with hangars of clothes. He held them up to her and the ones he deemed were passable he tossed to the bed and others he replaced to the closet.

"What about this one?" Brady held up a gold dress. Cadence opened her mouth to say something but was cut off once more. "No, it's too formal. Don't worry, I'll find something good."

"Take your time, bud, take your time," Cadence said. She reached over as her cell phone started to ring and quickly answered it. "Hey Cait, what's up?"

"What's up is that I don't really know what to wear," Caitlin said. She sounded more stressed than usual. "What do you wear to a club? I haven't been to a club in a long time. Is it supposed to be really fancy? Or more casual with jeans? And what about my shoes?"

"Wait." Cadence briefly closed her eyes, a sinking feeling in her chest. She reached down and placed her hand on her stomach. No, she hadn't gotten punched. So why did it feel like it? "What are you talking about?"

"Going out to the club tonight. You, me, and Barry. Cisco was going to come too, but then something came up. I think he's still reeling over the whole thing with Hartley being back. I mean, I'm not happy with that either but I want at least _one_ night off, you know?"

"Yeah… I know…" Cadence tightened her grip around her phone. She took a deep breath and forced a smile. "This place we're going it doesn't matter what you wear. Just whatever is comfortable. I'm sure you'll look great."

"Thanks. I guess I'll see you there?"

"Yep and I'll give you my full appraisal when you get there, Cait. I promise." Cadence laughed. Did it sound as hollow as it did to her? She hung up the phone, frowning. Then flipped around to face her son. "Hey, don't worry about anything _too_ fancy. But it needs to look good, alright?"

"Got it!" Brady gave her a thumbs up and went back inside the closet. Cadence turned back to her phone and picked out another number. She started speaking as soon as the person on the other end picked up. "Hey, are you doing anything tonight? Do you think you can make a trip out to Central City? I can come get you." She smiled when she got the response she was waiting for. "Great, I'll be there soon." She hung up her phone once more turning back as Brady held up another hanger. "Perfect!"

"I think so, too," Brady said with a proud grin. He looked over as there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it."

Cadence quickly dried herself off with her heating powers, styled her hair, and slid into her outfit of an x-shaped crop top and matching skirt. To stave off getting cold at any time, and to tone down the stylishness of the outfit she added a plaid shirt tied around her waist and sneakers. Then she picked up her wallet and keys and met Brady and Ryder at the front door. Brady turned to her with a wide smile.

"You look beautiful, Mom!" He said.

"Thanks." Cadence leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she straightened and addressed Ryder. "I should be back by about eleven or so, feel free to bring him by then."

"You got it," Ryder agreed. He smiled warmly at her. "You really do look beautiful, Cadey."

"Thanks."

"Mom?" Cadence turned her attention to Brady as he was tugging on her arm and she kneeled down towards him once more. Brady looked over at Ryder before placing his hands on his mother's shoulders and leaned toward her ear. He whispered, "Do I have to be on my best behavior?"

Cadence grinned and whispered back. "No, make him work for it."

* * *

Barry cringed as he heard a man warble away at a song on the karaoke stage. He hadn't been out in a long time, but he knew when someone was a bad singer. Spurred on by his alcohol consumption the man had hogged the mic for at least the last ten minutes and he was starting to get a headache. As well as a newfound appreciation for his own singing skills. Resting his hands on the table, Barry leaned back to check the door and found himself face to face with Caitlin. His jaw dropped a little when he saw her out of her normal professional attire and in a dress and matching shoes.

He must've been staring for Caitlin suddenly looked panicked. "What?" She asked, sitting down next to him.

"Nothing," Barry said quickly. He leaned back, rubbing his arms. "But you look…really nice," he finally.

"Well, I don't always dress like a high school principal," She explained. Wincing a little, Caitlin pulled her chair out of harms' way as a throbbing beat took over the sound system and a dance floor opened up. Barry smiled. He could see why Cadence would choose a place like that; it certainly had the younger crowd in mind.

"Have you seen Cade?" Caitlin asked. She started to look around. "She said she was going to meet us here."

"No, not yet," Barry replied. "I was just about to ask if you've seen her…" he trailed off as he caught site of Cadence coming through the door of the club, smiling her thanks to the guy that was just leaving, pushing the door open for her. Cadence looked around for a moment then her eyes caught Barry's and she waved, walking over. Barry felt his mouth dropping open again. Caitlin looked over at him, then at Cadence, then back at Barry, smiling to herself.

Cadence waved again once she reached them. "Hey!" She greeted cheerfully. "Ah! Cait, you look awesome!" She leaned over and gave her best friend a hug. "Much better than I thought considering how much you were worrying."

"You look great, too," Caitlin replied, hugging her back.

"Yeah," Barry agreed. "You look…amazing," he finally said. Then he frowned. Was amazing the right word? There had to be something better that would explain himself but he found himself at a loss for words.

"Thanks." Cadence glanced at the three chairs around the table before reaching over and pulling up one more. "We need another chair," She explained before sitting down, making sure her belongings were tucked carefully into her purse.

Now Caitlin frowned. "But I thought Cisco wasn't joining us tonight?" She said. Barry nodded, still not finding himself able to say anything. Not that it would have been coherent anyway. But as far as he was concerned, Cisco had turned them down for that night.

Cadence's eyes shifted over to Barry's and flickered for a second. "I wasn't talking about him," she said. Then Barry's eyes widened as he watched Roy drop down into the seat next to Cadence and smiled at everyone. "Roy wasn't doing anything tonight either so I popped over to Starling City and got him."

"I hope you guys don't mid me tagging along," Roy apologized.

"No way," Caitlin said quickly. "The more the merrier."

Clearing his throat, Barry sat up straight in his seat. "Right," he agreed. "The more the merrier." He looked up as a tray of drinks was set in front of them. All of a sudden Barry hated his powers even more than ever before. He really needed a drink. While Roy and Cadence took their drinks and had only a small sip, Caitlin picked up her tumbler, toasted herself, and drank the entire thing in one gulp.

"Uh, you might want to pace yourself, Caitlin," Roy warned her, tightening his grip on his own glass as he watched her. "You never know how you'll react to things sometimes." Cadence just watched in surprise as Caitlin lifted her hand to call for a waitress.

"Excuse me! But I would like to start a tab." Barry gave her an incredulous look as Caitlin beamed back at him.

Cadence, on the other hand, tilted her head back and laughed loudly. "God, Cait, you said that like you're borrowing a book from the library." Using air quotes she said, "Are you going to start saying 'swag' and 'yolo' and 'bae' too?" She smiled teasingly at her friend to show no offence.

"I just might," Caitlin said with a smile of her own. "We're supposed to be having fun, right?"

"Amen to that." Cadence clinked her glass along the side of Caitlin's and drank half of hers. She put the glass back on the table just as the song switched. "Oh! I love this song!" She turned to Roy and grabbed onto his hand. "D'you want to dance?"

"Yeah, sure." Roy took her hand and the two became swept up on the dance floor. Dancing much closer together than Barry would've liked.

He found himself scowling as he watched the two talk and laugh each other, still moving to the beat of the music. Of course Roy was a good dance. And it was no surprise Cadence was; too, she had been a cheerleader at one point. And as she had told him there was a part of her that liked to party and it appeared she was letting it out tonight. _How much of her past has she told him?_ He asked himself, continuing to watch.

"I knew it."

Barry whipped his heard around to look at Caitlin, who continued to grin at him. It was then Barry noticed she had taken another tumbler from the waitress, who was now empty, and had a shot lined up in front of as well. "Knew what?" He asked.

"You like Cadence," Caitlin said. Her words slurred a little but Barry could hear the unmistakable school-yard taunt in her voice. "You like Cadence. It's so obvious, Barry. Even Cisco knows you like her." She paused. "I'm not sure about Dr. Wells though. Brady thinks you might. But he's young so what does he know?" She laughed to herself and sucked down another drink. "You know what? I think she likes you, too. _And_ I think she's liked you since she met you. It's the perfect couple don't you think?" She leaned over into Barry's face, bringing her finger to her lips. "But shhhh! No one's supposed to know?"

Barry watched in horror as she picked up her shot and downed it. "Uh, Cait, don't you think you're hitting this a little too hard?"

"No sir, Mr. Allen, I don't think I'm hitting it hard _enough_!" Caitlin flagged down another waiter and Barry ran his hands over his face. There was no way she was going to stop her; she was already too far in. Barry hardly looked up as Cadence and Roy joined them at the table once more, both laughing. Barry felt himself bristle even further when Cadence laid her hand on his shoulder before sitting down. "What's so funny?" Caitlin practically screamed across the table. Her eyes widened. "Whoa? Was that an echo?"

"No, Cait. It was you," Cadence replied. She pressed her lips together and held a hand up in front of her mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. "Uh, she doesn't really drink much does she?"

Roy stared at Caitlin, watching as she started to sway back and forth to an imaginary song in her head. She was in danger of falling out of her seat, but managed to pop back up every time she was close to falling completely over. "No, I don't think so," Roy agreed. "And I've seen people in the Glades get pretty messed up at times. She's hammered."

"Already?" Barry asked in disbelief.

"Looks like a lightweight to me." Roy started to laugh, reaching out his hand to keep Caitlin upright. "I think she'll be okay. But she's really going to be feeling it tomorrow."

"Well, at least she's having a night off," Cadence said slowly. She looked over at Roy and started to laugh as well. Barry couldn't help but soon found himself laughing. He stood up from the table, saying he would get Caitlin some water before she managed to completely pass out.

At least that's what he told himself. Either way, he moved away from the table as quickly as he could, plopping down onto a stool at the counter. He caught the eye of the bartender and nodded. "Hey, could I get some water please?" He asked. The bartender turned away from him, cleaning out a glass and speaking to another patron. "Excuse me? Hello?" Barry turned back around as he heard his name called into a microphone and watched as Caitlin stood on stage with a microphone. Cadence stood on her other side, looking as horrified as Barry felt.

"Mr. Barry Allen, come on down!" Caitlin called. "Or up! Come up here!"

Cadence grabbed onto Caitlin's microphone and pulled it over to her mouth, pressing her lips against it. "For the love of God, Barry, if you care about me even a little, please get up here," she practically growled. Barry could almost see the smoke rising out of her ears. He hurried up on stage to the last microphone.

"Look at him go so fast!" Caitlin cried before bringing her hand back to her mouth and shushing loudly. Cadence gave her a smile and pushed her head to turn her the other way.

"I think this is the only way we'll get her to shut up," Cadence said as Barry took his microphone. "She said she would cry if I didn't get on stage with her and judging by her appearance I wouldn't put it past her." She cleared her throat as the song started up. "Roy's keeping our table."

"I didn't ask about Roy!" Barry snapped at her, suddenly annoyed.

"I was just saying!" Cadence snapped back.

The two looked at each other before jerking back, cringing as Caitlin started to sing ridiculously off-key, "Summer lovin' had me a blast! Summer lovin' happened so fast!" Cadence wiggled a finger in her ear as Barry tilted his head to the side.

He took his microphone as his part came up. "I met a girl, crazy for me." _Oh, how ironic._

Then it was Cadence's turn. "I met a boy, cute as can be." Her voice wasn't fantastic and she wouldn't brag about being a singer at all, but at least she could sing on key and stay in tune as well.

"Summer days, driftin' away to oh oh, those summer nights!"

The three continued to sing and despite Caitlin's voice causing Cadence unnecessary pain and torment as she had to stand so close to her, the three continued through the song with as much enthusiasm as possible. Soon Barry found himself pulling his microphone off the stand and really belting out the song as Cadence and Caitlin sang along with him. Finally the song ended to a smattering of applause and Barry practically dragged Caitlin off the stage and back on the floor.

"What'd you think?" Caitlin practically screamed in Roy's face once they went back to the table. "I was good, wasn't I?"

"Oh, well, you were really something," Roy said politely in return.

"Yeah, I was something," Caitlin agreed. She then turned to Barry and poked him arm. "But you…you mister, you're the fastest man alive _and_ you can sing?"

"Yeah, I thought you said you didn't sing or dance," Cadence said, turning to him with an expression he couldn't quite place. It was at least more pleasant than the way they had snapped at each other while up on stage. "I knew you were lying about dancing, but I wasn't so sure about singing, Tholly. What else have you lied to me about?"

"I don't call it lying more than being modest," Barry defended himself. "I really didn't think I'd ever need to sing in public ever again so…" he shrugged and turned his attention to Roy. He could at least be welcoming. "What about you? Do you sing?"

Roy shrugged. "Not really. Mostly to myself."

Lifting his head, Barry looked around the club to find someone to close their tab. Just in case Caitlin started to get the feeling of wanting to drink again. He caught the waiter's eye and held up his hand. The waiter turned his way but walked right by the table before Barry could stop him. He tried again when the waiter came back the other way before throwing his hands into the air. Finally, when a waitress came by Cadence reached out and grabbed onto her arm. "Hey Suzy, can we tap out? We're going to be heading out soon."

"Aw, you're not going to do another number for us?" Suzy asked.

"Already been here for a couple of hours, kind of want to get back and see my son."

"No problem Cadence, I'll close your tab."

"Thanks."

Barry sucked in a breath and rested his arms on the table. "Looks like you've been here a lot," he said.

Cadence smiled and nodded. "I used to come here all the time. Not so much anymore, but it can still be fun. And trust me when I say I'm never going to let Caitlin live this down." She turned to Caitlin and her eyes widened when she spotted Caitlin slumped over with Roy holding her up. "Uh, Roy—"

"—we need to get her outside now," Roy said.

"I'm on it." Barry grabbed her arm and raced her out of the bar as Cadence paid their tab and she and Roy followed them. Thankfully, Barry got Caitlin outside just as she started to projective vomit. Roy made a low groaning sound as he watched her.

"And I thought heaving after Oliver's workouts was bad," he remarked.

"Yeah, but this is someone who isn't used to her alcohol rather than continuously being gut-checked by Oliver," Cadence pointed out. "We should probably get her home right now." She looked at Barry and he nodded before zooming out of sight with a light gust of wind. Cadence reached out and grabbed onto Roy's arm, teleporting him into Caitlin's apartment just as Barry and Caitlin arrived. "Told you I was faster."

"Now's not the time, Cade," Barry said, holding Caitlin by her elbow.

The scientist groaned and brought her hand to her stomach. "Are we still running? Vodka and super speed are a terrible combination." She groaned, leaning over even further. She looked up at Roy as if she couldn't place her. "Hey, Little Red Riding Hood, a little help here?"

Cadence laughed and Roy rolled his eyes at the nickname before taking Caitlin's other arm and helped her to her room. Once they were inside they put Caitlin down on her bed and Cadence reached out, taking off her high-heels, gently placing them aside.

Then before the three could stop her she reached behind her and started to unzip and pull off her dress until she was half naked. Barry and Roy immediate turned away from her, shielding their eyes as Cadence grabbed onto Caitlin and stood her up. "Okay, Cait, before you give us all a show why don't we get you into your pajamas, okay?" Cadence led her over to the closet.

"Oh come on," Caitlin slurred, pushing Cadence away. "There's nothing wrong with this freedom. I'm just expressing myself." She lazily pointed to Barry and Roy, who had now slowly turned back to her. "Besides, they're guys. They should sneak a peek."

"Sneak a peek?" Roy repeated incredulously.

"Sneak a peek at my goods," Caitlin said, to Barry's, Roy's, and Cadence's bewilderment. She smiled down at her black lace bra, adjusted it with her hands, and then clasped her hands together. "That's alright, go ahead and look. As a matter of fact!" She turned and pointed to the fire metahuman who jumped at the sudden mention of her name when Caitlin cried, "Cade!" Caitlin moved over to her side. "Why don't you show them your goods too? Take off your top, let them see." She poked Cadence on the arm as if there were a hidden release button that would soon render her naked.

"Ok!" Cadence walked forward and placed her hands on Caitlin's arms, turning her around and starting to remove her from the room. "Let's get you into bed."

"That's a good idea, because those boys must be gay! I mean, they didn't even _think_ about looking at us, Cadey. And we're very attractive women. Very attractive. But I say, to hell with them and to hell with men." She stopped walking and turned back to Cadence, eyes still wide with drunken innocence. "What do you say to going to Vegas and getting married?" Before Cadence could respond, she grabbed the sides of the metahuman's face and kissed her. "What do you say to that?" She asked, once the kiss ended and she backed away.

If Cadence had been thrown off by Caitlin's affection, she didn't show it. Instead, she turned her back around and started to push her once more. "I don't think I remember you proposing to me, Cait" Cadence said with a light laugh. "And if that's what you were doing, then you need to work on it more before I give you my answer."

"Oh come on, it'll be fun!" Caitlin insisted, dragging her feet on the ground so that the two came to a stop. "What happened to the plan of ruling the world and only using the men as breeding stock?"

"Breeding stock?" Roy and Barry repeated in unison.

Cadence waved them out of the room. "We can do that plan later, Cait. Come on, I bet you're really tired."

"Oy, she's not the only one," Barry muttered.

* * *

Cadence closed the door to Caitlin's apartment and made sure it was locked before turning to Barry and Roy. "I don't think she's going anywhere and if we're lucky she won't remember any of this so we can use it for blackmail later." She wiggled her phone in her hand, laughing to herself then looked at her watch. "I have to get home; Ryder's dropping off Brady soon." She turned to Roy and opened her arms, giving him a tight hug. "Thanks for coming; I hope you had a good time."

"Oh, I certainly won't be forgetting about this night anytime soon." Roy grinned. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Thanks for coming," Barry piped up, almost as an afterthought.

Roy nodded to him then turned to Cade with a sheepish smile. "You think you can get me back to Starling? I don't want to spend so much money and time to get all the way there."

"No problem." Cadence grabbed onto his shoulder and teleported to the Glades. She bid Roy goodbye once more then teleported to her apartment. She jumped, finding Barry leaning against the front stoop, waiting for her. "Would you _please_ stop that? And don't you have your own home to go to?"

"I just wanted to ask—"

"—you _always_ want to ask something, Barry," Cadence interrupted. "Can't you ever go a day without asking something?"

"—I wanted to ask if I did something wrong? You've been really cold to me all day and I don't really get why. Did I do something wrong? Did I offend you in any way?"

Whether it was her own irritation or some of the drink she had that night, but she found herself not holding back. "Other than do the same thing that all heroes do and get my hopes up?" Barry looked at her in confusion and she shook her head. "I don't even know why I jumped to that conclusion anyway. It's only a matter of time before you leave like all of the others so why would I want to do that? To myself or Brady? It's good that we're just friends, we don't have to worry about things going beyond that and getting all screwed up." She stepped around him and started to walk inside.

Barry's voice stopped her. "I'm sorry, I don't…I don't understand."

Squeezing her eyes shut, Cadence turned back around to face him. Her eyes flashed. "I don't expect you to, Barry." Barry frowned when he realized she didn't call him by her nickname for him. "I don't expect anyone to get it. Your last relationship was, what, two or three years ago? But at least you were still around Iris, who you were in love with, to get the feeling of being wanted. Barry, not being in a relationship for a long time can hurt more than being punched. It makes you feel unwanted. The longer you feel unwanted the more you start to long for things; for a hand to hold, for a hug, for a simple touch, a kiss, the sense of security that you can only get with another person…." She shook her head. "I'm the queen of first dates, people head for the hills once they find out I'm a mom and I've come to expect it, so I didn't ever dare to bring anyone into my or Brady's life."

"And then I met you and I realized you could be someone I could bring into my life. Not just because we were working together at STAR Labs, but because of everything. And it was great to see Brady warm up to you so quickly. He's my main priority and who I judge people off of. For once I thought I could push all of that aside and…" she felt tears come to her eyes.

It was happening again, just like usual. She put so much of herself into other people and in return she ended up alone and hurt. _I should just accept that this is the way my life is going to be,_ she thought, feeling her wall come flying back up, hardening into concrete. _Until Brady's old enough. He's going to be so disappointed._

Barry took a step towards her, his blue-green eyes boring into hers. And she stood transfixed. Was there something there? Something he wasn't telling her? Cadence mentally shook herself. _No, don't fall for that. You always do._

"And?" Barry prompted, almost in a whisper.

Cadence was broken out of her thoughts. "And nothing."

"Cade-"

"You didn't do anything wrong. I did it to myself." Cadence turned again. "Goodnight, Barry."

Cadence felt her temper flare, her body temperature immediately rising when she felt Barry's hand on her arm, pulling her back around. But as soon as she opened her mouth it fell shut when Barry's lips pressed against hers.

* * *

 **A/N:** I know, this was an obscenely long chapter. But Barry and Cade kissed! Woohoo! Finally! (I know that's what my sisters were saying about it, haha). And things with Roy may have seemed to end sort of abruptly, but it's not the end of course, I don't brings things up/in without there being a reason for it. But yes, they finally kissed!

And, as you can see, Hartley is finally in the mix. I'm soooo excited for that part as well as mixing him in with Firestorm, and the Rogues, and the Black Flash, and the end of the show. But I'm more excited for the time travel part and you'll see why one it gets there. ;)

What did you guys think? Favorite part? Least favorite? Also, any guesses for Brady's metahuman name yet? I know I haven't shown his powers much yet, but there's more of it in the next chapter. And SnowWells is coming back in the next chapter, too.

In case the anonymous reviewer is reading this too, considering what you've said on _Sparks Fly:_ I don't care. I don't let negativity like that bother me anymore. If you have something constructive to say then you can say that, if you want to contact me in any other way then please get in touch. But whatever is driving you to bash mine and my sister's story is something you need to handle. Also, yes she's there to be a love interest because it's a romance story, that's sort of the point. Please try reading the stories first rather than make rude/mean/unnecessary comments that prove you're basing your unnecessary reviews off of appearances.

 **Cheers,**

 **-Riles**


	24. The Sound of the Fire and Fury

**.:24:.**

* * *

Iris pulled her hair behind her ears and turned away from the steaming coffee pot that sat behind her. Once again she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and looked over the screen. Despite having the phone set to vibrate and ring, she still hoped maybe she had missed a call. Or a text. Anything that would let her know her prayers had been answered. Okay, maybe not her prayers but something that let her know she was bound for bigger and better things than Jitters. Not that she didn't enjoy working at the coffee shop; there were always new people she was able to meet, new stories to get from the patrons. But it didn't push her forward like the prospect of becoming a journalist did.

That's what she went to university for, got a degree it. And it was going to be her career, no matter what.

"Don't tell me you're texting and working, I'm pretty sure you can go to jail for that." Tess smiled when Iris turned to face her. The older woman sat at the counter, crossing one jean clad leg over the other. "What's going on, Iris? You look like you're waiting for a date to call."

"Not really," Iris replied. She put her phone back in her pocket. "Eddie and I already live together so if it's anything else, he'll be proposing. But we haven't talked about that, so I don't think that's going to happen." She smiled a pained smile, resting her hands against het counter and leaned towards the woman. "No, I'm waiting for a call from the Central City Picture News. There's a reporter job that I applied for and I _really_ want it."

"Oh?" Tess's eyebrows rose, her green eyes sparkling. "You want to be a reporter? That's a very interesting job. But it can be dangerous, too, depending on the stories you take."

"But that's the point; I want to be right in the middle of the action." Iris asked if Tess wanted her usual cup of coffee and the woman nodded. "In this city there's always a story to tell. A case to crack. That's what I want to do. And with the metahumans that are running around here, there're more and more stories that I want to tell." She handed the mug over to Tess, studying her. "Have you ever come in contact with any of the metahumans? They can be pretty wild at times."

"Not that I've noticed," Tess remarked slowly. "I mean, I've seen on the news. I've seen that…" she swallowed hard. "STAR Labs is the one that everyone is blaming for things going wrong around here. But I haven't seen a metahuman up close. Not that I'm aware of." She looked around the coffee shop before training her eyes on Iris one more. "But that doesn't mean they're not here, right? How do we know the next one isn't who we're sitting next to on the bus? If the blast from the…" she snapped her fingers. "Where did you say it was?"

"STAR Labs," Iris supplied.

"Right. If the blast form STAR Labs was as big and wide as the news reports said, then with all of the dark matter, and x-elements that were spread around, there's a chance many people won't show the manifestations of those particles and energies until much later."

"You seem to really know about your stuff," Iris said.

She tilted her head to the side, watching the woman carefully. Tess had been coming into Jitters nearly every morning since the two had first met. She enjoyed talking to the woman; she was very warm and inviting and definitely had an air of worldly intelligence about her. Still there were things about her that were strange.

She didn't much talk about her past, didn't speak much about where she was from; the only time Iris had asked she had said 'I lived in Maryland, Coast City, Starling City, Central City, Keystone City, Astro City, Midway City…I've moved around a lot. I was an army brat. My mother was part of the military.' Other than that she didn't get much of an answer around her. She skirted the question about whether or not she had kids, if she was married, and what her profession was. As far as Iris was concerned, the woman was as mysterious as any of the other metahuman that crawled through Central City. The only difference being that the woman clearly was not a metahuman or else Iris would have figured that out pretty quickly.

Her blog continued to be flooded with pictures and stories of metahumans; sightings, trackings, and pictures. If Tess was a metahuman, Iris would've known it as soon as the woman stepped through the door.

 _But there's something she'd hiding,_ Iris thought as she continued to watch the woman. _And I'm going to figure out what it is._ Maybe it was none of her business, but it was the journalist in her. The little girl that always told her Dad, Barry, and anyone else who would listen that she would make a difference by exposing everything that people were trying to hide. To make Central City a better place.

"I've got a bit of a background in science," Tess explained. "I've done a lot of things here and there. I was a scientist once upon a time. Right now I'm still recuperating from my accident."

"I thought that was years ago," Iris pointed out. She distinctly remembered Tess saying that to her. And as she watched the woman now, a deer in the headlights look slid onto Tess's face. _Gotcha._ "But I guess there was more to deal with than just the physical therapy on your leg."

"Well, I broke that," Tess admitted. "Nearly crushed it, actually. Which is why I'm still limping. But there were also some injuries to my head and my collarbone. There was a lot to deal with."

"I'll bet," Iris said. She stood up straight and watched Tess closely. So there was something about the car accident that was off. And there was something about her background she wasn't talking about. Iris liked a challenge. She could be told 'no' so many times but continue to do whatever it was until she absolutely had no choice. But she was also heralded for her determination. _Too bad Daddy couldn't see that,_ she thought. _I would've made a great police officer. Maybe I can do the same investigations with this reporter job if they would call me back!_ She resisted the urge to look at her phone again.

"So what kind of a scientist were you?"

"I dabbled in a bit of everything. There was always something that caught my attention. Always something to learn."

"But don't scientists usually have one area of expertise?" Iris pressed. "There has to be something that you enjoyed more than the others. I mean, even Harrison Wells focused on physics when he had the pick of the litter for his studies. And he made the Particle Accelerator with such ease it was no wonder he became so well known for his scientific advancements."

Tess flinched at the name. She lowered her head and took in a few deep breaths. "Harrison Wells is living here in Central City?"

"Yes. He's been living and working here as long as STAR Labs has been up and running." Iris paused. "Why? Do you know him?" Before Tess could response she attacked Tess with another question. "Actually, you look kind of familiar? Have we ever met before?"

"No," Tess said calmly. "I'm sure I would've remembered meeting a lovely lady such as yourself."

"Thanks." Iris was about to ask Tess another question when her cell phone rang. She immediately grabbed a nearby dishtowel and wiped off her hands. They flooded with sweat as soon as her familiar ringtone went off. She picked up her phone and looked at the screen. CCPN. Oh Gosh. This was it. This was the call she had been waiting for. She was going to freak out. She couldn't do it. Iris looked over at Tess, who watched her closely and found herself filled with renewed vigor.

She _had_ to get this job.

Iris took a deep breath and brought the phone to her ear. "Hello? Yes, this is Iris West." She paused as the voice on the other end of the phone congratulated her on her blog. She could barely hold still, keep herself from trembling as the recruiting agent kept speaking. "I'm glad you enjoy my blog. I try to get as much information out to my readers as I can." She held her breath as the best news of her life came in. "Yes! Yes! I'll take the job. Oh my God, thank you so much. I'll be there bright and early." Iris hung up the phone and started to jump in place in her excitement.

Tess chuckled, watching the young woman. "Something tells me that you got the job," she remarked.

"Yes! Yes! I got the job! I'm going to be a reporter for the Central City Picture News. I can't wait to show everyone what I can do. What I can tell them. I'll be the best reporter the city has ever seen." She let out a low sigh, the realization coming onto her. She needed to tell her father and Barry and Eddie, and her co-workers at Jitters. She needed to quit her job to work full-time. No more slinging coffee.

But that almost meant she wasn't going to have as close contact with Tess. To know what it was that she was hiding. Her mind whirled with a million options to keep the woman closer to her as Tess smiled warmly at her. The woman laced her fingers together and rested her chin on top of her hands.

"Congratulations, Iris. You're going to do a wonderful job. I've read your blog myself, I don't know anyone in the city that doesn't. You should be proud of yourself." Tess raised her mug in form of a salute. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

"I hope so, too," Iris replied.

* * *

Cadence sent blast after fiery blast at the targets lined up in front of her. She hit one with ease and precision, sending smoke and sparks in all directions. Finally she struck the last target and lowered her hands to her sides, immediately snuffing out the flames that sat there. She wiped sweat off her forehead and turned back towards Harrison, who was sitting behind her, a remote control in his hand.

"How'd I do?" She asked.

"Well, it looks like your marksmanship isn't a problem," Harrison said. "Though I did notice that you were a bit slower with your reaction times as our target practice progressed. That's the point that you start to stick to your plateau, we need to move past that."

Cadence briefly closed her eyes and shook her head. That seemed to be the theme of her life at the moment. She was moving past her past with Ryder, moving past her past with her parents, moving past her work with the Assassination Bureau, moving past…things with Barry. Opening her eyes, Cadence turned back to Harrison and leveled her gaze at him. She crossed her arms.

"You _know_ I can't allow myself to get too far into my powers, Harrison," She reminded him.

"I do seem to remember a time where you did and ended up on a medical table with the sprinklers going off and industrial fans cooling you down," Harrison said. He moved the remote control aside and directed his chair closer to her. Folding his hands into his lap, he trained his blue eyes on his daughter. "And I also seem to remember you coming out of it with little to abject side effects."

"Yeah, _that_ time," Cadence pointed out. She turned on her heel and started to pace. "You don't get it. You weren't there. You were never there."

"I know I wasn't there for a part of your life—"

"No! You weren't there the last times this has happened! I would lose control. I would end up on the floor shaking and seizing. One time it happened while Brady was there another time it happened when I was working with the Assassination Bureau. Breathtaker hadn't been able to help me like he was able to do with Mindboggler. I had to come out of it on my own without help of any doctors. Every time I was _this close"_ she held her thumb and index finger an inch apart. "To death. I can't keep doing that."

"Just like with Barry's powers there are things you have to work through," Harrison insisted, his voice growing gruff. It deepened with malice by the second. "And the more you hold yourself back, the better off the rest of us will be."

"I'm stronger than Barry!" Cadence cried. The tone to her voice and infliction mimicked Harrison's. Normally she would have found another similarity between the two of them exciting, especially as she learned more about him as the days went by. But this time she hardly noticed it. She could feel her blood spoil, her temper flaring with as much intensity as the fire she controlled. "I'm faster than him. I'm doing just fine right now."

"You can get even stronger and faster. But right now isn't good enough. You need to be stronger and faster to be sure that you know what to do when certain circumstances come your way."

Cadence tugged on the ends of her hair before turning on her heel. She started to pace back and forth. Every now and then she clenched her hands into fists, tight enough and with enough fury so that flames erupted around her hands. Then she opened them and the flames would disappear. "Like what?"

"Like the Reverse-Flash. If you want any means to defeat him, just like Barry, you have to get better. And right now you're not doing anything to help _anyone_ in Central City." Cadence stopped and turned to face him. "That's why you're not put out on the field as often as Barry is as The Flash. You have to get better. You have to stop, stopping yourself."

"Like you understand what that means? Like you understand all of what is going on with me and Barry. Being a meta. You put these fucking unrealistic pressures on me."

"Because you're _not_ trying!" Harrison snapped.

"I _am_ trying!" Cadence snapped back.

"You try up to a point and then you stop. Yes, I understand you're running a risk of a seizure but you're in the best place for a seizure to happen! We are very well equipped for the medical needs that will come from it. But you are not equipped to push harder and further than you have before all because of the fear you will not allow yourself to push through. Emotions run your powers, I understand that. But if the only way you can reach your full potential is by having someone constantly push your buttons then I don't believe you deserve the name Flash Fire at all!"

Cadence's eyes flash with a fire induced rage. "That makes two of us. Because I didn't even want this stupid name. You haven't been in my life for a long time, Harrison and it isn't fair that you think you can control me and run my life the way you want. You don't see the potential in me; you want to use me as a weapon. Just like Breathtaker did. But I'm much more than a weapon and you don't want to be in my way when I do!"

She stepped around Harrison and stormed out of the training room. Crossing her arms over her chest, she stalked her way up to the Cortex, finding Caitlin, Cisco, and Barry deep in discussion. Barry looked up as she came into the room and he immediately stood up straight, running his hands on the legs of his jeans.

"Hey Cade," he greeted her in a voice that was slightly high-pitched. "H-how are you doing today?"

Cadence smiled back at him, already feeling her frustrations melt away. "I'm doing fine, Tholly. Just fine," She replied.

Barry's eyebrows furrowed together as he took a good look at her. "You don't _sound_ fine," he noted. "Is something wrong?

"I just got into a fight with Harrison," Cadence commented after briefly glancing over her shoulder. "People always say I have a bad temper and while I don't show it so much, Harrison was just on the receiving end of it." She held up her hands. "Don't worry; I didn't burn him or anything. I have it on good authority that that can hurt." She gave Barry a knowing smile which he returned.

"I can vouch for that, it really does."

Cadence hadn't meant to burn Barry when he kissed her. She hadn't reacted as well as she typically did whenever he was kissed. As a matter of fact, his grabbing her arm and turning her around to kiss her had caught her so off-guard that she didn't react at first. His lips moved gently over hers and Cadence felt her eyes gently flutter shut before she placed her hands on Barry's shoulders and kissed him back. This kiss was different than the one she shared with Roy, different than the ones she had shared with Ryder when they got time to themselves.

This one made her feel completely secure and safe. And that was Barry in a nutshell, she realized. He was someone she didn't worry about potentially or purposefully hurting her. She didn't have to worry about him using her for his own selfish gain. She just didn't worry. When on and off the battlefield he was one of the few people she completely let her guard down around. He was sweet and nice and…Barry. Ryder had been all of those things but he had been someone that became as caught up in the life he kept away from his parents as she had from her own. As much as she did love him it wasn't what she wanted or needed.

And what she needed in that moment was for the kiss not to end. But then she remembered what she had said before, her confession of feeling lonely and always being alone, her worries of not wanting to be wanted ever again, of being able to bring someone into her life the way others hadn't been able to, and how she was stupid enough to allow that to happen when she thought Barry was asking her out on a date. But he wanted to date Caitlin. He had spent a lot of time with her that night.

Oh God, how stupid she felt when Caitlin told her she would be going along.

It was that thought that made Cadence push Barry away from her, abruptly ending the kiss. It was supposed to have been a gentle shove, but then she found Barry crying out in pain, frantically patting at the smoldering spots on the shoulders of his shirt. She grimaced as smoke trickled away from the darkened spots.

"I didn't mean to do that," She said lamely.

"Good, at least I know when I get my dry cleaning done the workers will know it wasn't on purpose," Barry replied. He finally finished putting out the spots and awkwardly turned back to Cadence. "Why did you…?" He frowned, unsure of how to ask it. "That kiss was nice," he finally said.

"Yeah," Cadence agreed.

She watched Barry, now confused. She had no idea why Barry had kissed her, especially after explaining herself like that. He couldn't have understood what was going on that night and how…immature she had been acting. But she had been hurt and reacted on instinct and emotion, the way she always worked. Her spontaneity was always something she was complemented on; even from such a young age she tried everything once and was willing to step out of her comfort zone on everything.

Maybe this time it was a mistake.

"Why did you bring Roy?" That wasn't the question she had been expecting.

"Why did you bring Caitlin?" She shot back, annoyed.

"Because I invited Caitlin," Barry explained. "And you _and_ Cisco but he couldn't come because—"he stopped as Cadence grimaced and lowered her head. "Oh." _Oh!_ Barry brought his hand up and placed a hand over his mouth. "Cade, I didn't mean—"

"—to hurt me? You always said that."

"And I didn't," Barry insisted. "I really didn't. I would never do that on purpose." He scratched at the back of his head. "If I ever thought you would _want_ to go out with me…then I definitely would have asked you out, Cade. But I didn't even know until recently that I liked you."

"Because you realized you could never have Iris, right?" Cadence asked. It wasn't an accusation, but an honest, curious question. Actually, she was a little afraid of the answer, afraid to ask it in the first place. "So you settled—"

"I didn't settle, Cade." Barry reached out and tilted her chin up so she could look him in the eye. "You and Joe were the ones that helped me figure it out. I fell out of love with Iris. I haven't been in love with her for a while and I didn't realize it. Because I was afraid of what we would be without having those feelings anymore. We're friends. That's it. You're my best friend, Cade. You and Cisco and Caitlin. But…you…I…" he struggled to find the right words.

"I get it, Barry," Cadence interrupted. She took a step back away from him, making his hands drop from her face. She glanced at the door behind her then turned back to Barry. He was smiling a small, anxious smile at her. "You should probably go." At the sudden stricken expression on Barry's face she continued with, "Everything's fine. I just don't think you'd be too happy to try and explain things to Ryder. No matter how many times I tell you that we're nothing anymore, I can tell you don't really believe that."

"I believe you," Barry pointed out.

"But you don't believe Ryder."

"I don't know him."

"Then you'll just have to get to know him." Cadence waved to him and started up the stairs once more. Then she snapped her fingers and turned back. "And I'm sorry about your shirt. But on the plus side you could always take it off." She smiled teasingly. "Green's not your color, anyway."

Now as she looked at Barry she could see in the smile he was trying to suppress that he was thinking about the same thing. Cadence tore her gaze away from him then noticed the pout that marred Cisco's otherwise joyful personality. "What's wrong, Cisco? You look like you finally ran out of your candy stash."

"He's still upset about Hartley," Caitlin explained in a low tone, fumbling with the large sunglasses that rested on her face. She then ran her hands over her hair as it was pulled back into a ponytail, taking in a deep breath.

"Is it my fault he was such a dick?" Cisco demanded. The explosion of his voice made Cisco and Barry jump. Caitlin groaned and leaned forward, pressing her forehead to her knees. "Is it?"

"Cisco, keep your voice down," she groaned. "My head hurts so much. Ugh and I feel so nauseous. I swear I'm never drinking that much ever again. I don't ever want to be reminded of that night."

Barry and Cadence exchanged another mischievous glance. Then Barry cleared his throat and asked, "So you don't remember anything about that night at all?" When Caitlin shook her head, Barry bobbed his head back and forth. Then he started to hum under his breath before singing quietly, "Summer lovin' had me a blast."

Caitlin's face screwed up and she groaned even louder. "Oh, but I remember that. That's so embarrassing."

Peering at his friend's pale face, Cisco's eyes widened and he started to laugh. He looked at Cadence for confirmation and when she nodded he started to laugh hysterically, clapping. "You actually got _Caitlin Snow_ to sing?" He asked. "You do know she's totally tone-deaf right?"

"Us and the rest of the patrons in that club," Cadence pointed out. Now she was laughing so hard her eyes started to tear up. "But Caitlin had a blast lost. She lost all of her inhibitions, had some fun, sang some songs, downed some shots, proposed to me…"

Cisco laughed again as Caitlin's head whipped upwards. Cadence was sure Caitlin was glaring at her behind her sunglasses. "I never proposed to you."

"Actually, you did," Barry insisted, raising a finger. "You said that the two of you were going to go to Vegas and start a life together without men because you could use them as breeding stock."

"Breeding stock?" Cisco repeated.

Cadence waved her hand.

"And that was after you kissed her," Barry added.

"Before," Cadence piped up. "I remember a kiss like that. Though it's not as interesting as the one I got later," She added under her breath. Beside her she could see Barry shift, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jeans and turned his face away from his friends so they couldn't see his blush. "But yeah, you _did_ propose to me and you started to make plans about what we would do when we got to Vegas before you passed out."

Again, Caitlin groaned, resting her face in her hands.

"Okay, so, taking the attention off of Caitlin for a little while, what's up with this Hartley guy? Why do you guys hate him so much?"

"Because he's a dick," Cisco said.

"I think we got that," Cadence pointed out. "But _why_ is he a dick?"

"Well, he was the one that told me on my first day at STAR Labs he couldn't trust me because I showed up for my first day of work with a t-shirt that read 'Keep Calm and Han Solo Shot First'." Cisco rolled his eyes at the injustice then sat up straight, resting his hands on his knees. " _And_ he thought he was God's gift to everything. He was good at every language he tried, he was a great scientist, and he didn't play well with others."

"Not to mention he was the prodigal son," Caitlin added. "He was such a kiss-up to Dr. Wells it was like he was trying to _be_ his son. I can't say I completely blame him, if there's anyone to have as a mentor, Dr. Wells is _the_ one."

"And he wants revenge on Dr. Wells because?"

"Because Hartley was one of the brightest scientific minds I have ever encountered," Harrison declared as he wheeled into the Cortex. Cadence sighed, keeping her eyes averted away from him. He went up to a computer and moved his fingers over the keyboard before a profile appeared on screen of a young man in glasses, staring ahead in a determined glance. "As you could have guessed, he is indeed related to Rathaway Industries. His grandfather started the company and his father expanded it. Hartley was in line to take over."

"What happened?" Barry asked.

"He came out to his parents," Caitlin explained. Harrison looked at her then did a double-take when he noticed the sunglasses and her death grip along the mug that sat on her desk. Caitlin smiled sheepishly and carefully pulled off her sunglasses, squinting against the bright lights of the cortex. "Old money, old values."

"He's gay?" Cadence asked in dismay, glancing at the picture. "Darn, he's really cute, too."

"Not _that_ cute," Barry remarked.

"You're a guy; you don't have the authority to call a guy cute. He's cute."

"Anyway, he's a dick and that's all there is to it," Cisco explained.

"Let's just say that Hartley, like many outliers, had trouble relating to his peers," Harrison said quickly. He shot Caitlin and Cisco a look but they continued to appear as incensed as when Hartley was first mentioned to the group.

"Yeah," Caitlin agreed. "But he was always your favorite." She stared hard at Harrison and he pointedly looked away from her.

Cisco, noticing the change in Caitlin's demeanor, turned to her with a smirk. "You sound jealous, Cait," he pointed out. His smile widened when Caitlin glared even harder at him. "Jealous of the Chosen One."

"So if he was so close to you guys, then why did he leave STAR Labs?" Barry asked.

"We had a disagreement," Harrison said simply.

"That doesn't surprise me," Cadence murmured. Harrison then shifted his gaze to her and stared. Cadence stared back; she had his trait of stubbornness too. She wasn't going to allow him to treat her like a child. Especially when he wasn't around before to do so.

"Well, if this guy is like what you guys say he is, then with whatever powers he has it's no wonder he wants revenge on Dr. Wells," Barry pointed out. "But I'm not going to let him hurt you. Any of you guys. I promise." Without having to look at him Cadence knew the last part of his declaration was directed towards her.

She smiled.

"So how do you plan to do that?" Cisco asked. "I mean, we don't even know what power he has."

"Actually, I think I figured it out," Barry said. "I think he has the power of sonic vibrations," he explained. "You see, everything in the world has a certain vibration pattern. A natural frequency. And since sound is expressed as a vibration if the pitch of the sound matches the natural vibration frequency of an object then it blows up. I think that's what happened to your house, Dr. Wells. I think it's something he's figured out to attack you."

"That is a very…interesting theory, Mr. Allen," Harrison agreed. "One that we certainly should look into."

All of a sudden alarms started to go off around the Cortex and Cisco immediately dove to his computer. He pulled up a map of Central City and found a red dot situation on the map. He studied it for a few minutes before lifting his gaze to Barry and Cadence. "Looks like Rathaway Industries is under attack."

There was another beeping sound and this time Caitlin pulled up the target. "And Concordance Research. Looks like you guys will have to split up."

"You take Concordance and I'll deal with Hartley," Barry suggested.

"You got it," Cadence said. Then she turned a cold glance to Harrison. "That is, unless you think I can handle it." Without waiting for a response from her father she pushed herself away from the desk and she and Barry walked side-by-side to the room that held their suits. Once they were out of earshot Cadence said to Barry, "Go ahead and ask the question you want to ask."

Barry didn't waste any time. "Do you _really_ think he's cute?"

"It's not going to make a difference, Barry, he's gay." She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I couldn't do anything about that even if I wanted to."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a flirt?" He asked.

"Yes, many times," Cadence admitted. "How do you think I got Ryder?" As Barry thought about it, she grinned. "And as far as I can tell, it's working on you, too."

Barry smiled back.

* * *

Brady looked up from his book as his teacher sat down at her desk, turning to her computer. With a paper ball hovering over his left hand, Brady wiggled his fingers and the ball landed in his palm. He crumpled it up in his palm and stashed it into his desk. Then he glanced around the room as the rest of his class read silently before leaning over to Conner, who sat at his side. He reached out and tapped Conner on the arm. Conner glanced at the teacher before leaning back towards Brady.

"What?" He whispered in case the teacher heard them.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Brady asked him. He smiled when Conner nodded. "I'm getting a Dad soon."

Conner's eyebrows rose. "Really? What makes you say that?"

"I wished for it on my birthday cake," Brady explained. "And so far all of my birthday wishes have come true." He spun his pencil in his fingers as his smile widened. "I really want a Dad."

"Yeah, but you just told me," Conner pointed out. He looked over his shoulder, ducking his head when he spotted the teacher looking their way. Brady held his breath and lowered his head, too. But he moved so fast that he bashed his forehead against the edge of his desk. Brady moved his hand to cover his mouth as he and Conner both laughed quietly. Finally their teacher turned away and Conner whispered. "A wish doesn't come true if you tell someone."

"Mm-mm." Brady smirked. "I told you a secret; I didn't tell you my whole wish. It's going to come true. Besides, my Mom went out on a date. And everyone knows that when you date you're going to get married."

Conner nodded. His pressed his lips together in thought. "I guess you're right," he agreed. "My Mom hasn't been out on a date in a while. And she doesn't really do anything other than show houses all day."

"See?" Brady insisted. "If Mom keeps going out, then we can—"He suddenly cut off as the lights in the classroom went off. Like the rest of his classmates he looked around the room, trying to figure out what happened. Then the lights flickered back on. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Conner replied, shaking his head.

"It was him!"

Brady and Conner turned around to find a girl pointing over to a small, frightened looking boy as he trembled in his chair. "I-it wasn't me," he protested. He brought up his hands and they trembled as well. "I swear!" There was a sudden bright flash of light and kids screamed, starting to scatter.

Brady shielded his eyes from the sudden bright light and turned away. When it faded he looked up to find Conner sitting beside him, staring with wide, horrified eyes. Brady looked back at him and Conner shakily pointed directly behind him. Twisting around, Brady found a perfectly encircled hole in the wall, the edges smoldering. Then he looked around and found the classroom was completely empty other than him, Conner, and the boy that had now placed himself in the corner of the room, arms around his knees.

"What?" Brady asked.

"Th-that blast," Conner stammered. "It went right through you. How did you not get hurt? It blasted a hole in the wall."

Clenching his teeth, Brady turned back to the boy and slowly got up from his seat. _Okay, we have to get this guy to STAR Labs,_ he thought. _Or maybe bring it up to his parents? I wonder how they would take it._ He started to slowly walk over to the boy. "Lucas, what's going on?" He asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Get away from me!" Lucas cried. He held up his hands again. "I didn't do anything!" He held up his hands and shot a few more blasts at Brady. Brady held his breath and watched as the first few blasts shot straight through his stomach. Then he couldn't hold his breath anymore and let go, crying out in pain as the fiery light shot by his arm, singing his skin.

"Brady!" Conner cried.

Lucas's eyes widened as he watched Brady. "How'd you do that?" Lucas whispered.

"It's a long story," Brady replied, holding up his hands. "But I can explain. I can explain what's going on with you. I just need you to trust me." He held his hand out towards Lucas. Lucas looked up at him. He then closed his eyes and turned his head away. "Lucas."

"No! There's nothing wrong with me! Leave me alone!" He shot another blast of fiery light towards him. Brady raised his arms to shield himself and blinked as there was a loud clanging sound and he was pulled to the ground. Opening his eyes he found Conner had knocked over a desk in front of him and the two were kneeling behind it.

"Good timing," Brady said to his best friend.

"Thanks," Conner replied. He looked down and Brady's arm and started to poke it, every few pokes his finger would go straight through Brady's arm and out the other side. "Whoa." He didn't look as scared as he did before, now slowly understanding what was going on. "You have powers…just like The Flash."

"Not really like the Flash," Brady corrected him. "The Flash can move at, like, super speed and I just…can't get hurt." Conner reached out and punched Brady hard on the arm. "Ow! What'd you do that for?"

Conner's eyebrows rose. "You just said that you can't get hurt."

"Sometimes!"

"Sorry."

Brady rolled his eyes and looked up over the edge of the desk. He blinked twice then looked around. "Wait? Where'd he go?" Conner poked his head up next to him and looked around, too. "I don't see him." The lights in the classroom suddenly went off again, this time the lights in the hallway started to go off as well. At the far end a bright light could be seen.

"There he goes!" Conner declared.

Brady and Conner got up from the ground and the two raced towards the source of the light. As soon as they rounded the corner they leapt backwards as a strong beam of light shot down the hallway. They then turned back to Lucas just as he started to charge up another attack.

Conner turned to the side and grabbed a backpack off of the hook. He flung it down the hallway then turned back and grabbed the next closest one and threw it after the first. Lucas used his powers to shoot down the two backpacks and all of the coats that were then flung his way.

"That's not going to work," Brady said to Conner. "He'll just knock it back out of the way." He shielded his eyes once more as there was another blast of bright light that went whizzing by his head.

"Then what do we do?"

"I don't know. He can control it better than I can." As soon as the words let his mouth he found there was another blast of light. This time, however, there was a surge of power that went along with it, knocking Brady and Conner off their feet and onto the ground. Rolling forward into a sitting position, Brady shook out his hair then tilted his head to the side as Lucas lay quietly on the ground. "I think he blew himself up."

Conner got up and hurried over to Lucas. He kneeled over him and peered over the boy. Then he stuck his finger underneath his nose and lifted up his eyelid. "I think he'll be okay, though. What should we do? Should we get the nurse?"

"Um." Brady pressed his lips together. "That's a good idea," he said. "There's only one other place we could take him and I don't think that's such a good idea." He looked down as his feet suddenly sank into the floor. "Not again." He held out his hand towards Conner. "A little help here?"

* * *

At Concordance Research the parking lot was as empty as the halls. Despite the lights continuously being run and the janitorial staff working to open the space no one had arrived yet. No one except Quentin Quale. The project manager was the sort of man that arrived early and left late and did every job in between. He took his job very seriously and cared so much about the integrity of the research facility that he found it enjoyable to work at all hours.

If he knew what the day would bring, he may not have gone into work so early. As it was, he was walking to his office when he heard a voice calling his name. "Quentin Quale!"

He turned around and stared at the string-haired young man that walked his way. His head was down, hair falling over his face, dirty jacket brushing against the sides of his equally dirty jeans as he took each confident step towards him. "Yes? What can I do for you, young man?"

"Young man? Wow, I haven't been called that in quite some time," the man said, walking towards Quentin.

Quentin studied the man for a moment longer. Then he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, do I know you? You don't seem familiar to me."

"We went to school together."

"Ah! You're one of my students."

"No." The man came to a stop in front of Quentin. He took in a few breaths and clenched his hands into fists. He cleared his throat a few times before speaking again. His voice took on a raspy tone, as if he was trying his hardest to control his voice. Either way, Quentin was starting to become suspicious of what this potentially homeless man wanted. If he wasn't one of his former students, then what did he want? "Classmates. University of Chicago, Class of '74. We protested the war: _Make Love, Not Napalm._ Remember?"

Quentin took in a deep breath of disgust then turned on his heel. He strode towards his office without a backward glance. "Look, I don't know if this is some kind of a practical joke but it isn't funny. Now get out before I call security." He made it only a few steps further before the man called out, "I know about your brother!" Quentin came to a halt.

He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain of the memory. Of his brother who had left the Earth too soon. Instead of turning around he continued to stand still, waiting to see what the man had to say but not giving him the satisfaction of seeing his pain.

"The truth is he committed suicide. You found the body."

Quentin's eyes squeezed shut. He took in a deep breath. How had the man known this? This man was too young to even know about his brother. It was far before his time. Heart thumping in his chest, Quentin turned around to face the young man. The man's breathing continued to become increasingly labored. "I never told anyone about that," Quentin whispered.

"You told. One. Person." Each word from the young man came out with conviction. Almost as if he was having trouble getting the words out. Almost as if something was keeping him back. "You told _me_."

 _Oh my God._ He _had_ only told one person. The same man that had stood beside him through the protesting rallies and all of their classes where they struggled to keep up amongst the massive amount of pressure, and through their late nights of studying. "Martin?" He whispered.

"I need you to help me," the young man said. Then he let out a guttural scream as he burst into flames; the flames exuded form his hands, wrapping around his body and expanded outwards. Quentin quickly back peddled away from the young man. Eyes wide with horror he scrambled back, trying to get away as the Burning Man walked closer to him. "No. Don't leave. I need you to help me. Please!"

Quentin moved faster along the ground, trying to get himself up. "I—I—"All of a sudden he felt a hand on his arm and he was teleported down the length of the hallway. He looked up to find a masked and suited figure standing by him.

"Hurry, get out of here!" Cadence cried. She watched Quentin leave before turning back towards Firestorm. "Looks like you didn't get the hint last time," she said to him. "I'm not going to let you hurt innocent people."

"You…you don't understand," Firestorm replied, struggling with each word. "I need…I need help." He screamed again, sending out another surge of nuclear energy. Cadence brought her arm up to shield her face then sent a stream of fire back towards him before charging towards him.

Firestorm shook his head then charged back.

* * *

"So?" Breathtaker's glowing eyes burned into Stratos's from underneath his red hood. "How did it go? Did you extend the offer?"

"I did," Stratos agreed. He slowly smiled. "And she took it."

"Excellent."

* * *

 **A/N:** It's been a while since I've done a flashback into Cadence's youth as well as to her trip in Metropolis and there will be some in the next chapter. And sorry, I had to push SnowWells back a chapter. I intended to put it in this one but then some other ideas that I wanted to write came in.

Anyway we've got a lot of stuff going on in here. Some BarryCade flirting, Hartley and Firestorm are finally in the picture and then we have the Assassination Bureau who is back in town. What do you think of that? Personally, I think Hartley is awesome and there should've been more of him so I'm glad I'm finally at this part of the story.

And we had a scene with Brady revealing his powers to Conner. I bet no one saw it coming that quickly but there will certainly be more moments for Brady to show off his abilities on and off the field. And lat but not least we have Iris getting to know Tess a bit more but that's certainly not good for her or any of those at STAR Labs.

So what did you guys think? Please let me know. I'll have this update again soon.

 **-Riles**


	25. All Hell Breaks Loose

**.:25:.**

* * *

 _Cadence ran a hand over her face as she tucked a towel over her shoulder. Shifting the baby carrier to her other hand, she reached into the bathroom and turned on the light before carefully setting it onto the ground. Brady looked up at her with his large eyes, sucking on his pacifier before turning his head away and pulled the towel that covered him up higher. He then spat his pacifier out of his mouth and brought the end of the towel into his mouth, running it over his gums._

 _Smiling a little, Cadence went to the bathtub and turned on the cold water. Then she perched on the edge of the tub and stretched out, crossing her legs at the ankle, resting her hands in her lap. She glanced over at the counter as her cell phone continued to ring, sending a peal throughout the bathroom. Thankfully the cascading water into the tub drowned it out or else she would get angry all over again. No matter if she turned off her phone, the phone in the apartment would start to ring and still wouldn't stop._

 _"You can call and ask how we're doing all you want, but I'm not answering the damn phone," Cadence said to no one in particular. It was the best she could do since she wasn't going to answer the phone and speak to her parents. Not when all they cared about as it was, was seeing Brady. "You have to let us see our grandson," they had said last time. Not when you don't want me around, Cadence had thought of responding but instead chose to hang up the phone._

 _Seventeen years old and living on her own in a city she hadn't had enough time to explore yet. And she needed to figure out how she was going to go to school. Getting her GED was always an option and so was finishing her degree online. But even then she'd need to go back to Metropolis at least once to get her transcript. Maybe I can teleport there and no one will notice me. Glancing into the tub, Cadence turned the water off then placed her hand in the water, heating it up to a good temperature._

 _Then she turned her attention back over to Brady and she smiled seeing he had drifted off to sleep. He clutched the towel tightly in his pudgy fists; head turned to the side and rested against the side of the carrier. His eyes shot open as Cadence moved to sit on the ground in front of him. He blinked at her twice then smiled an open mouth smile that was all gums. Dropping the towel, he reached his arms out for her, then turned back, picked up the towel with one hand and passed it to her. He leaned back in his seat with a satisfied smile._

 _"Aww, thanks bud," Cadence said, calling him by the name she referred to the baby as since she first found out she was pregnant. "Are you ready to get into your bath?" She reached out and gently ran her hand over his head and cheek, then ruffled his hair before stripping him of his clothes. She picked up an inflatable bathtub ring and placed it in the tub before carefully setting Brady down into it._

 _He squealed and immediately started splashing the water with his hands, laughing as he did so. Cadence stripped off her clothes and sat down in the bath with him, carefully pushing his inflatable tube back and forth, his legs churning through the water as she did so. He then turned his attention to the wash cloth that fell into the water and picked it up. He moved closer to Cadence and stuck out his hand, gently pressing the end of the wash cloth to Cadence's nose, muttering "Mama," as he did so._

 _Cadence leaned over and pressed a kiss to his forehead before picking up the wash cloth and started to move it over his head and neck. Other than the sounds of the splashes of water the apartment was quiet. Compared to her home in Metropolis where things seemed to be constantly going on, it was a bit eerie. A lump formed in Cadence's throat and she swallowed hard, blinking back tears. Almost as if he sensed her sadness, Brady reached up with his wet hands and placed them on her cheeks, gently patting them._

 _Cadence smiled and continued to clean his face and chest. "It's okay, bud," Cadence said, in a low whisper. "We can get through this on our own. We don't need anyone else."_

 _..._

 _.._

 _._

Launching herself into the air, Cadence barely missed getting him by a fiery blast that Firestorm sent her way. Landing on the ground, she spun around on her heel and struck him with the heel of her foot then followed it up with a blast of fire sent his way. It struck him in the chest and he cried out before sending a blaze of fire back at her. Cadence deflected it with a quick flick of her wrist then clapped her hands together. A horizontal arc of fire shot out from her hands and struck Firestorm once more. What she hadn't anticipated was Firestorm using his power of flight to shoot over her head with a quick burst of speed and sent a blast of fire into her back, knocking her forward.

Cadence fell towards the ground then teleported to the other end of the hall. She reached a hand behind her and winced as her fingers pressed against the exposed skin that managed to get singed. Normally she had a sense of immunity against fire and heat, but this Firestorm's attack wasn't just from fire, it was nuclear thermal energy and she had never encountered that before. Cadence looked towards him once more and teleported right back to him then the two were locked in a heated battle of flying fists and flashes of fire.

Every attack Cadence sent his way was then blocked by his own attack and vice-versa. Pressing her lips together, Cadence continued to concentrate on her abilities, fending off Firestorm the best she could. Cadence teleported behind him and held out her hand, the flames that encircled her palms extended into a flame sword. She swung it towards the nuclear powered metahuman and Firestorm turned around, shooting a rush of flame back at her. The two attacks collided creating a large fireball with enough force that sent the two flying apart from each other.

Firestorm landed hard on the ground before he flipped himself upwards once more. He twisted around to face Cadence as she got up as well, and launched himself forward. He grabbed onto the front of her suit and lifted her off the ground, dragging her around like a rag doll as he flew through the twisting and twirling hallways. It took Cadence a moment to get her bearings, dealing with the sudden rush of wind around her and grabbed onto him just as tightly as he was. She teleported them out of the way and the two cried out in pain as they suddenly crashed into a wall.

Firestorm then lifted her up in another direction and they crashed into another wall before Cadence teleported once more. Then they were in a swirling dance with Firestorm's jet propulsion sending them through the hallways of Concordance Research, crashing into walls, the ceiling, and the floor as Cadence alternatively teleported them. Finally, the two twisted and twirled upwards at a high speed, fire shooting out in all directions, until they crashed into the rafters in the ceiling and fell back to the floor. The force of their crash to the ceiling caused the sprinklers and alarm to go off, dousing the metahumans, snuffing out the flames that surrounded them.

Cadence gasped loudly, feeling pain rush trough her body and the coolness of the water around her. That wasn't good. She needed to keep the water from getting too high. _What I would wish to have Barry's healing powers right now,_ she thought. Looking across the floor, she watched as Firestorm groaned just as loudly, doing his best to push himself back up. But he couldn't support his weight, falling back down onto his chest.

Firestorm lifted his head, blowing his stringy hair from his face. "Wait," he gasped, holding out his shaking hand. "Wait. I don't…I don't want to hurt…I need help…"

Cadence raised her fist and slammed it back to the ground. The ground rose up in a wave, cracking open as it went. As the wave rolled towards Firestorm it illuminated in the reddish-orange fiery glow from underneath. Then the wave reached him and erupted in a fireball and rocky shrapnel into his face, the force of the blow rocketing him backwards into the wall behind him.

Cadence let out a sigh of relief, using both of her hands to push her hair back off her face. She lifted her goggles and wiped the soot away, glancing over at Firestorm once more.

They did say to fight fire with fire, but whoever said that clearly hadn't seen two fire metahumans pitted against each other.

* * *

Barry came skidding to a stop outside Rathaway Industries as glass came raining down upon him. Bringing up his arms he fended off the falling glass before turning his attention to the person that was creating the glass rain dance. The cloaked figure continued to thrust his hands forward, sound waves shoot out of his palms and struck the glass of the building. For a moment, Barry tilted his head to the side, studying the picture. _That's it,_ Barry thought. _He's using his gloves to project the sound; he's not making the sound of his own volition._

Smiling to himself, Barry raced forward and struck Hartley to the ground with a strong punch from his fist. Hartley cried out in pain and surprise as he pitched forward. He caught himself with his hands and flipped around, staring up at Barry with a moderately impressed expression.

"It's over, Rathaway," Barry said to him. "You're not going to hurt anyone else."

If Hartley was worried about The Flash being there to stop him, Hartley didn't show it. Instead he chuckled, squinting against the sunlight as he tilted his face up towards Barry. "I see you know my name," he remarked. "I'm assuming you know Caitlin Snow, Cisco Ramon, and Harrison Wells as well. I can hear the radio waves coming from your suit. They're listening from the other end, aren't they? They're going to hear you die."

Barry's smirk widened. Apparently Hartley had never dealt with him before, or knew about his abilities or else he wouldn't be so excited to face him. He had to move faster than the speed of sound waves as it were. "They're going to hear you get your ass kicked—"Barry grunted in pain and soon he found himself flying through the air, straight through the decorative glass statue that held the Rathaway symbol. He quickly got back to his feet and raced around as quickly as he could, catching Hartley off-guard. Then he zoomed up close and grabbed Hartley's gloves, tearing them off his wrists.

And yet Hartley's smirk remained. He looked right into Barry's eyes then turned away, shoulders slumping in resignation. Barry grabbed him around the neck and dragged him back to STAR Labs. Instead of pulling down his hood as he typically would, he kept it up, afraid that revealing his face would make things harder for them. Hartley spoke up as he was dragged through the halls of STAR Labs.

"Boy does this place bring back memories," he commented. "It wasn't that long ago that I worked here, y'know? But I'm sure Caitlin and Cisco have told you all about that. Or maybe Dr. Wells did." Hartley twisted against his restraints to look at Barry. "How well do you know Dr. Wells, by the way? I'm sure not as much as I do. You see, I know his secret."

"Shut up!" Barry shoved him forward and kept walking him towards the Cortex.

As he turned the corner, right before walking directly into the Cortex, Barry paused, recognizing a shadowy figure standing nearby. His eyes slowly started to widen as he recognized the Black Flash. It stood with its arms crossed, chest heaving up and down as it took deep breaths. When it realized Barry was staring at him, the Black Flash opened its mouth into a grotesque grin, showing off its graying gums and blazingly white fans. Against its gray-green skin and white eyes its fangs seemed to be glowing from its own power source. Its mouth opened even wider and lizard-like tongue slithered out.

Barry's blood pressure skyrocketed and his temples pounded, throbbing almost as if they had a life of their own. He turned back to Hartley and found that he wasn't moving, almost as if frozen in time.

"Don'ttttt worrrry about him, Barrry. He'ssss not the one I'm afffterrrr," the Black Flash hissed, voice as dry a brittle bones. He took a step towards Barry, hand outstretched towards him. "I'mmmm not going to hurrrt him. I want youuuuu."

 _Well that seems to be the recurring theme of my life,_ Barry thought. He clenched his hand into a fist and barked, "What do you want?"

"Yourrrr lifffffe," the Black Flash replied. He shot towards Barry with an insurmountable amount of speed—a white trail of lightning shooting behind him—that Barry didn't anticipate. He let go of Hartley's arm, even more confused to see that Hartley continued to stand in his position, and raced along the corridor as fast as he could.

Yellow and white lightning raced around and around STAR Labs as Barry and the Black Flash tried to outpace each other. Barry ran faster and faster but the Black Flash continued to hang on his tail. At one point he felt a razor sharp hand rake down his back with enough force that he flew forward at a turn and crashed face-first into the wall. He rolled over and found the Black Flash standing over him. It tilted his head to the side before kneeling down in front of Barry.

Shrinking back against the wall, Barry watched as the Black Flash watched him for a long moment. Finally it reached out a hand and pressed his fingertip to Barry's chest, he winced, already feeling the sharp claw against his skin despite the thickness of his suit. "I'mmmm not going to kill you yettttt, I haven't finissssshed with you. I'm not going to killlll you until you've run to the end of the Earth and can't run anymorrrrre."

Barry closed his eyes and when he opened them again he was walking into the cortex with Hartley by his side. His back itched and burned as he felt his wound close up and heal. Turning his head to the side, he watched as Hartley took a step towards his former co-workers.

"Caitlin and Cisco. Never thought I'd see you again," Hartley commented, his eyes slowly shifting back and forth between the two. Noticing his former co-workers were staring at him without an inch of emotion in their faces he seemed to become even more amused.

Cisco's eyebrows twitched upwards as he crossed his arms. The tension between the three was certainly palpable. Barry couldn't ever remember seeing either of them so cold. Well, not since Caitlin had lost Ronnie, it took her a while to understand she was allowed to feel emotions of happiness and excitement through her work with STAR Labs and the flash despite still grieving for her lost husband.

"And we were hoping you might have died," Cisco replied. "I mean, that'd be the best news I think I'd ever hear in my life other than Superman wanting to talk to me."

Hartley made a ticking sound with his teeth. "Oh, I don't know, being able to meet the Flash seems to be something a lot of people deem to be worthy of their time." He turned to Barry and looked him up and down. "Though I can't imagine why."

"You're the one that just got beaten by him, Hartley," Caitlin pointed out.

"And yet, here I am speaking to you two." Hartley lifted his cuffs and shook them back and forth. "This doesn't particularly seem like jail to me, does it to you?" He pushed his glasses up his nose. "So you call him the Flash? That's an interesting name; I've called myself the Pied Piper."

 _That's not bad,_ Barry thought. But he didn't dare say it out loud. Instead he looked over at Cisco and noticed that despite the glare on his face, he had a begrudging expression in his eyes. He thought the name Pied Piper wasn't too bad either.

Then Hartley turned his almost blank gaze to Caitlin and he tilted his head to the side. "I never got that wedding invitation," he commented. "I was so sure it was going to be the event of the season too."

Caitlin's eyes flashed and she started to take a step forward, but Barry held his arm out, stopping her. He looked at her and shook his head. Caitlin looked back at him, staring right into his eyes before she turned away. Barry then grasped Hartley's collar and pushed him towards Cisco. "We need to put him into the Pipeline."

"I'm on it," Cisco said. He shoved Hartley once more, pushing him in the direction of the Pipeline, where the rest of the metahumans that were too destructive were kept. Before he could take him further out of the room, Hartley turned back to Harrison, who calmly sat to the side.

"Dr. Wells," Hartley greeted him.

"Hartley Rathaway," Harrison responded in the same, cool tone. A half smile appeared on his face. "It's good to see you again, though I wish it were under better circumstances."

Hartley tilted his head back as he laughed. The laugh started off as a chuckle before extending into a full blown explosion of laughter. When it faded he turned back to Harrison. "None of these people know who you are. Who the _real_ you is. I wonder what they would say if they ever figure that out. Maybe I should be the one to tell them."

Harrison's eyebrows rose. "I'm sure that would be plenty interesting as I do manage to keep my life very, very private." He looked up as the doors to the Cortex opened and Cadence walked inside, looking worse for the wear. "But as it is, there are other matters we have to speak about. So we'll come back for you later." He nodded towards Cisco and watched as his current and former co-workers left the room.

Once they were gone Barry reached up and pulled off his hood. He turned towards Cadence and looked her over. "Hey, are you okay?" He asked her. He placed a hand on her shoulder before reaching over and giving her a hug, glad she hugged him back. He wanted nothing more than to make absolute sure everything was okay but knew it wasn't the time to talk about it. It wasn't the time to sit down and talk about everything that had happened between them. Not when so much was going on. But once thins died down…

"I was about to ask you the same question," Cadence replied, eyeing him warily. "What's up with your back?" Barry reached behind him and felt around the back of his suit, feeling that the material had been torn open despite his skin being intact.

"It _was_ Hartley that was attacking Rathaway Industries," Barry explained. "Obviously trying to get some revenge against his parents." He took a deep breath and looked at Harrison. "But the Black Flash came back for me." Caitlin and Cadence both exchanged confused glances and Barry explained the other times he had run into the black clad speedster. "This time, was weird. He chased me around STAR Labs, but nothing around us was moving, like we were moving so fast everything stood still. I've never run that fast before. When I've gone my top speed everything slowed down, but never froze. And we were running around and around, I knew he could catch me but he didn't try. It wasn't until he trapped me that he said he wasn't going to kill me yet but was waiting until I ran 'til the end of the Earth."

"So this Black Flash that you're speaking of can run as fast if not faster than you," Caitlin said. "And wants to kill you like the Reverse-Flash does? You don't think it's possible that the Reverse-Flash is behind this too, do you?" She asked.

"I don't think so, there might be another person based on the fact alone that Barry mentioned his lightning streak was white," Cadence pointed out. She ripped off her goggles and rested them around her neck. "I mean, there can't be _one_ Speedster that has it out for him. He's the one saving all of Central City, the one people are all trying to go after because with their powers they want to do as much as they can because the CCPD can't stop them. The question is if this is another speedster, how and when did they get their powers?"

"Precisely the right questions to ask, Cadence," Harrison pointed out with a nod. He lifted his hand and started to rub his thumb over his fingers. "Precisely the right questions indeed." Then he took stock of her appearance. "And what was it that you were up against?"

Cadence seemed to have remembered she was mad at him because she turned to and spoke directly to Barry and Caitlin. "We've got a problem," she announced. "Another metahuman popped up and not the kind we're used to seeing." She cleared her throat, briefly closing her eyes. "There was a meta in Brady's class and he lost control and accidentally attacked some people. Brady had to reveal his powers to Conner to try and stop the other meta. I've got to get him from school."

"There was a meta in his class?" Caitlin repeated.

Barry let out a curse, bringing his hand to his forehead. He started to pace back and forth, bringing his hand to cover his mouth before bringing it up into his hair. "Honestly, it's not that surprising," he admitted. "I've thought about it before…after I started to learn how to use my powers…after running into Blackout and the Mist…The Particle Accelerator explosion was very widespread, it killed so many people, it _hurt_ so many people…there's bound to be a chance that _anyone_ is a metahuman. Brady's one and he's nine years old. There's a kid in his class that created havoc because he lost control of the powers he didn't knew he had."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Caitlin pointed out. "We can't put them in the Pipeline. We can't really watch them either, how are you supposed to go up to a parent and say 'Excuse me, your kid has special powers that are really dangerous and we need to take them to our facilities to test them'."

"Or you could always do what my parents did?" Cadence suggested dryly. "Act like they don't exist and leave the kid to figure them out on their own. It's a wonder I was able to figure things out." She raised a finger. "I may be speaking about them in a negative way but rest assured y parents raised me just fine…as well as two insane people can."

"What's your point, Cadence?" Harrison briefly closing his eyes.

Cadence nodded and walked over to an empty computer. She typed on the keys a few times before pressing another button and brought up the feed of a camera in the medical bay. She pointed to the screen. " _That._ " She pointed.

Barry and Caitlin stepped around her and the three looked at the screen. Barry's eyes widened when he caught sight of the familiar face sitting of the person sitting on the examining table. He hadn't gotten to know the person the way Cisco and Caitlin had but he recognized him. Part of what he was working for was to figure out what happened to him and how he became a metahuman.

Barry glanced at Caitlin as she sucked in a sharp breath, her jaw dropping.

"Ronnie," she whispered.

* * *

Caitlin speed walked into the Pipeline and found Cisco and Hartley in a cold conversation. She picked up the tension between the two of them and immediately sighed, crossing her arms defensively. She couldn't help it. Wherever Hartley was concerned, there was always tension between the three of them. As long as she knew him he always had to be right, he always had to be the best, and he _always_ had to be the one right underneath Harrison's thumb. It was no surprise he harbored grievances towards those that were left once he was terminated, she knew _something_ had happened between him and Harrison but not sure what exactly.

If there was one thing Harrison always had, it was his secrets.

Hartley's gaze turned towards her and his ever present smirk widened slightly. "Well, I was wonder when the Snow Queen would find herself down here." She pressed her lips together at the annoying nickname he had bestowed upon her ages ago. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I have something I need to stay to Cisco," Caitlin replied stiffly. "Something between us and Dr. Wells."

"Yes, now I remember. You seemed to have been vying for Dr. Well's attention as well. But not the same sort of attention _I_ was looking for. I mean, I already had someone who had my eye and last I checked you had a fiancé so I don't know how that worked out." Hartley then looked over at Cisco and said something in Spanish that caused Cisco to frown before responding in Spanish as well. Then Hartley turned to her, looking her up and down. "This has to do with Ronnie," he commented.

Caitlin held her breath, eyebrows coming together. How had he knows that? She didn't say anything to anyone. Couldn't have said anything to anyone, she had only just found out about him still being alive, being in STAR Labs from Cadence a few moments before.

"You only have something to say about your precious fiancé when you rub your finger like that." Hartley nodded towards her hand and Caitlin looked down, finding that she was rubbing her empty ring finger with her right hand. He was right; she always did that when she thought about Ronnie, as she always had since he had proposed to her, since _before_ he had proposed to her.

She couldn't help it, by that point she was biding her time, waiting for him to finally pop the question. Day after day they went to work together and returned to their apartment together and enjoyed each other in only the ways a couple in love could. She hinted and goaded and suggested and he kept quiet, taking her mind off her empty finger to whatever it was he wanted to show her. The last time he had faked her out, tricking her into thinking he was going to propose, he had taken her SCUBA diving, something she had initially refused to do.

Those were the memories she tried to push away, to keep from dwelling on when he had downtime. But now here Ronnie was again, sitting right in STAR Labs…with Harrison. She hadn't thought about that either. She had just told herself to get over Ronnie not being there anymore, to allow herself to open up to someone else and she had done that. She had done that in the only ways she knew how—which she didn't regret at all—and now here he was, back from the dead.

"And yet you're still acting like nothing bothers you, because you don't like to deal with emotions," Hartley continued. "So how would you react if you knew that Ronnie isn't the same Ronnie you remember? As a matter of fact he's like me in so many ways. But so different."

Caitlin shook her head. "How did you know we were here?" She asked.

Cisco sighed, turning to her. "He studied the Flash and crime scenes. According to him, he realized that the Flash always ran in this direction from each and every encounter." He shook his head. "It was only a matter of time until he found it."

She glanced back at Hartley, eyes narrowing with barely concealed fury. Her hands shook, she could feel herself . She mulled over what Hartley had said to her; her brain filled with millions of memories she and Ronnie had made over the course of their relationship…and how she had then turned and made new memories with Harrison. She knew almost everything about Harrison, _everything_ about Ronnie and yet she had a different relationship with both of them that made her feel special. _Face it, Caitlin, both of them made you feel like you were alive, like you were someone, something more than the bioengineer who wanted to change the world. _

For a minute a rush of cold zoomed through Caitlin's body and she shuddered, rubbing her fingertips together. It wasn't the first time it had happened but it hadn't become more frequent than it had been before. Caitlin took a step towards his pod in the pipeline. Hartley continued to pace back and forth, bringing his hand up to his ear every now and then. "What do you mean?"

Grabbing her arm, Cisco tried to pull her back. "Caitlin, don't. He's just trying to upset you."

"If only that were my main priority," Hartley murmured. He sucked in a breath through his nose and turned back to Caitlin, pressing his glasses up his nose. "No, my main priority is Harrison Wells. Though I'm sure he's listening to our topic of conversation at the moment. I've already gotten through with Cisco, so why don't I torture you for a while?" He steeled himself as if preparing for a difficult math equation. "Your precious Ronnie was seems to have taken on a new identity of sorts. I've already said the frat boy was a completely different person when drunk but this just takes the cake. You see there was another person here the night of the explosion, a Dr. Martin Stein. You see, he went in, but he didn't come out. There is a sign of his existence amongst the outside wall here, an imprint if you were and yet his body is missing. His wife, Clarissa has been searching for him. I'm sure you can understand her pain, Caitlin."

Caitlin swallowed hard and turned her head away for a moment. "Tell me what you know, Hartley! I'm getting sick and tired of your runaround."

He smiled, continuing to bring his hand up to his ears, rubbing them. "You see, the CCPD took away everything from STAR Labs after the explosion. Pretty commonplace. But you see, Martin Stein's disappearance has to do with STAR Labs and the CCPD don't even know it. He specialized in transmutation."

 _Transmutation._ Caitlin and Cisco exchanged a glance. They had heard that exact phrasing before when speaking about project F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M.

"Or Quantum Splicing, whatever you want to refer it as. In laymen's terms, taking two things and making them one. He was here working on something with his project and while he was here, the Particle Accelerator blew and…" Hartley raised his hands and pressed the palms together. "Martin Stein meet Ronnie Raymond."

"Caitlin!" Cisco grabbed onto her arm and pulled her back a few steps. Hartley smirked at them and turned away as the lid to Hartley's pod closed. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Why would you let him get to you like that? Why would you-?"

"Because it all makes sense, Cisco!" Caitlin shot back. She reached up and grasped his arm, staring him in the eyes. "Ronnie, he's…Cadence went to stop the disturbance at Concordance Research and it was Ronnie. He's here at STAR Labs."

Cisco took one look at her, realized she was telling the truth, and grabbed her wrist. The two raced off to the holding cell Ronnie was sitting in. Harrison, Barry, Cadence, and Brady all standing outside it, arms crossed. Caitlin walked over to the window and raised her hand, pressing it against the glass. Ronnie looked back at her, but didn't appear to recognize her at all. Then he seemed to look closer and something flashed in his eyes, something familiar.

Caitlin took in another breath and looked over at Harrison, surprised to find he was looking back at her. There was something in his eyes she couldn't quite place but had an idea of what it was. And yet he continued to look at her before gently, discreetly reaching out his hand and grabbing hers. A couple of pills were placed into her hand almost as if he were passing her illegal contraband. As far as she was concerned, he was. Caitlin swallowed hard and he nodded to her. She nodded back and walked over to the door, separating them, and grasped the doorknob. Then she released it and took a step back, turning towards Cadence.

"Do you think you could help me?" She asked.

"Yeah, no problem, Cait," Cadence quickly agreed. She took a step back away from the group, ruffling Brady's hair, before joining her in the room. Caitlin quickly cleared her throat and went into her 'doctor mode'.

"We're not going to do anything more than examine you," Caitlin said as the two snapped on some gloves. "Check your vital signs; make sure that everything is in tip-top shape."

Cadence stepped up to Caitlin's side and looked him over for a minute. Then she tilted her head, continue to stare at the young masculine body sitting in the open in front of them. "I don't think we have to worry too much about _everything_ being in tip-top shape. Though he _could_ use a haircut. " She commented, causing Cadence to laugh lightly. Cadence smiled, glad to have made her friend see a little bit of humor in the situation.

Ronnie's lips twitched before he turned towards her. "Young lady, while I do understand the female species finding the physique of a male species, such as this, to be highly attractive, now is not the time to note it."

Cadence blinked twice, looking moderately confused. "I feel like I just got scolded by my Dad."

"That must be Professor Stein speaking," Caitlin said. She quickly explained to her what Hartley had said to her and Cisco. "Which means that…Ronnie is in there somewhere, but that Martin is the driving force at the moment. Professor Stein, I hope you don't find this intrusive, but we're going to check some things out now."

"Please, be my guest," Ronnie agreed.

Caitlin and Cadence stepped forward and quickly got to work checking his vital signs, as well as his reflexes, his senses, and mental capabilities. Finally, Caitlin gave him the pills that Harrison had passed her which he took with some provided water. Once everything seemed to check out, they quickly moved to clear things up and let the others in on what was going on. Caitlin waved for them to come into the room as Cadence said, "When I found him, he mentioned that he—they needed help."

"Yes," Ronnie said. He closed his eyes, nodding. "I need help. To split us apart."

"Is that possible?" Brady asked, tilting his head to the side. "I know they were put together but can you take them apart?"

"In theory, using nuclear fission," Barry pointed out. "Which _is_ possible but…we're talking about two _men_ here. Not a few atoms."

"That's what I was thinking," Harrison agreed. "There are many ways to go about this however many of those ways result in…ideas…consequences none of us may be ready for." He shook his head then took off his glasses to rub his nose. "Though that's not to say any of _this_ hasn't been impossible to those who didn't believe. That was the imagining behind my Particle Accelerator as it were."

"If I may interject," Ronnie suddenly said, holding up his hand. "But what did you give me?" He brought his hand up to his head, gently pressing his temple with the lightest touch. As if expecting to wince in pain as soon as his fingers came in contact with the skin. "My mind…it—it feels clearer than it ever has. It's simply remarkable. What did you give me?"

"A cocktail of anti-psychotics, anti-depressants, mood stabilizers," Harrison explained.

"The same ones used to treat dissociative identity disorder," Ronnie commented.

Caitlin lowered her gaze as he said that. It was then she knew for sure. That was wasn't Ronnie, not the same Ronnie she had come to know and love with all of her heart. He was smart, able to fix nearly anything that went wrong in STAR Labs and come up with his own construction ideas. But he wasn't well versed in the area of medical sciences. It truly was Martin Stein who was speaking through Ronnie's body. Her Ronnie was gone.

"Very clever, Cait."

With a start, Caitlin's head jerked back up. She looked Ronnie in the eye, seeing something familiar in them. But it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. Caitlin gave a small, crumbling smile before she whispered, "Don't call me that, please."

"I apologize, Dr. Snow. I don't mean to upset you." Ronnie tilted his head and looked at her for a long moment. "Though I do have something to say that I hope will bring you some solace. I can't exactly figure out how to get it so that you can speak to your Ronnie, though there are memories that I have…memories that aren't mine that I know are attributed to you. Your trip SCUBA diving for example…" he lowered his head for a moment. "Then there's Piedmont State Park…famous for the Hudson Falls. I've never been there myself but…I can remember them perfectly .The mist across my face, your hand in mine…"

Finally Caitlin's resolve broke and she turned her head away. A lone tear trickled down her cheek. "That's where he proposed to me," She whispered. "Excuse me, I just need a minute." Caitlin turned on her heel and hurried to her office, ignoring Cisco's outstretched hand. She went into her office and dropped down into her chair, placing her face in her hands as she cried.

Everything she had kept bottles up over the past year came out of her in those loud, body wracking sobs. The grief she felt and had to push away so she could be there for Dr. Wells, the time she had to spend with Cisco being there to support him as he tried, in vain, to convince his parents that his job at STAR Labs was the best thing that had ever happened to him, working on getting STAR Labs up and running again, helping test out Barry's powers and become part of his team and every thought and feeling of worry and grief that surrounded each moment came spilling out. She was supposed to be strong for everyone else, why couldn't someone be strong for her?

Caitlin had finally stopped crying and was sniffling quietly, head pounding and heels of her palms pressed against her eyes when she heard a tinny, mechanical sound coming her way. Bringing her palms up to her forehead Caitlin muttered, "I don't want to talk, Harrison."

"No, I don't doubt you do," Harrison remarked, stopping his chair beside her. "But I feel this is something that needs to be addressed or else keeping things in will make things difficult for you. I know you're not one to speak about your feelings until it becomes too much to bear but keeping _this_ inside is something that will be detrimental more than helpful to keep in."

Caitlin tilted her head back and stared at Harrison with a look that was almost completely of contempt. "Do you _really_ want me to let out everything I'm feeling?"

"That would be helpful to give the rest of us an idea of how to go about acting around you," Harrison said. He looked towards the ceiling as Caitlin slapped her hands on the table and backed up a little.

"Why do I have to be the one that has to have everyone figure out how to act around me?" Caitlin demanded, raising her voice. She ran her hands through her hair, closing her eyes at the cool sensation running over her scalp. "Why am I the only one that has to always keep everything inside all the time?" She shook her head. "Why…why did my Mom _do_ that to me?" She found herself asking. She was always told to be seen and not heard unless she was speaking to someone in an authority figure. She was always a studios kid, preferring to read and learn than go to the sleepovers and pajama parties the girls in her class were holding.

Maybe that had been a bad thing for her.

Shaking her head, Caitlin allowed another tear to fall down her cheek. Harrison reached out to wipe the tear away and made it as far as resting his fingers on her face before she pulled back. "No, don't do that."

"You're confused and hurt," Harrison said. "Not thinking that you'd ever see Ronnie again, working on the feelings that you've had and for him and how to move on. And with what we've had—"

"What did we have, Harrison?" Caitlin whispered. She briefly closed her eyes. "What _do_ we have? Are we a couple? Are we just with benefits? Pretending that we're not doing anything wrong while everyone else slowly finds out?" Harrison cocked an eyebrow. "Cisco is still the only one who knows about us. Or is your relationship with Cadence at such a standstill that you don't fell you can talk to her about your love life as well unless it has to do with Tess."

Harrison reached out a hand and placed it on Caitlin's cheek, this time she allowed it to stay there. There was a warmth that combated the cold she was giving off. His eyes narrowed for a moment and he leaned closer to her. "Have you had any further instances with—"

"No, Harrison I haven't. Nothing other than a few bursts here and there and don't patronize me and change the subject." But Caitlin turned her cheek into his palm, letting out a low sigh. She wanted the warmth of his hand to stay within her, to warm her bones to make her feel something again. And yet she felt nothing but empty. "I don't know what to do."

"Talk to me," Harrison insisted.

"I don't know what to say."

"That's fine, too."

Cadence suddenly teleported into the office and Harrison immediately dropped his hand, moving his seat backwards. If the fire metahuman noticed how close the two were sitting, she didn't show it. "There's something going on," She explained to Caitlin. "Cait, his body temperature is sky-rocketing. Very high. My temperature is already really high but this is getting worse by the second, I think you should check it out."

Caitlin exchanged a look with Harrison.

What else could go wrong?

* * *

Barry waited as Harrison maneuvered to his computer, gently pushing Cisco to the side, and pulled up what looked like two atoms. Cisco leaned over his shoulder and stared at the screen, eyes narrowing. Harrison then brought his hand up and covered his mouth, shaking his head. "Ronnie's body is rejecting Stein's atoms. The exothermic reaction is potential to set off a chain reaction."

"What sort of reaction?" Brady asked.

"He could go nuclear," Harrison explained. "Like a nuclear explosion. Have you ever heard of the Chernobyl disaster?"

Brady's nose wrinkled. "I'm only nine years old," he pointed out.

"It seems that Ronnie's fight with Cadence has exacerbated the Firestorm matrix and made it unstable." Harrison shook his head. "Much like how Cadence has seizures when her body-temperature gets too high,"

"The consequence of this one getting to high is that the unstable atoms are going…" Cadence trailed off and made an explosion sound with her mouth and wiggled her fingers in the air before crossing her arms and cocking her hip. "Great, another thing I've messed up."

"You didn't mess anything up," Cisco reassured her. "This could've happened if he was fighting Barry. The amount of time the two have spent bonded together has already caused means for their atoms to reject each other. It was only a matter of time until something like this happened."

Barry scrubbed his hands through his hair. Great. They managed to find Ronnie and the missing Martin Stein, who they didn't even _know_ was missing until Hartley—whom he wasn't entirely sure he could trust—was entrapped within his pipeline pod brought it up—and now what should've been an amazing reunion for Caitlin and Ronnie was about to, literally, go up in flames. It was one of the few times in his life he didn't know what to do. "But you can separate them before its too late, right?"

"Any attempt we try may hold even more dire consequences then we could ever imagine," Harrison replied. "The nuclear explosion coming from it, if we do something wrong, could level this entire city not to mention the nuclear fallout in the aftermath. Not unless the host body was no longer functional."

Caitlin whipped her head around and glared at him. "You want to kill Ronnie?" she spat.

"If we kill Ronnie we'd kill Stein," Cisco pointed out.

Cadence let out a low sigh before admitting, "He has a point." All eyes turned to her, Barry's eyebrows furrowed together as he looked at her. He felt like he had been punched in the stomach, the same way he had when Cadence pointed out to him how Starling City operated differently than Central City and they needed to follow Oliver's way of doing things. "Thinking of it on a grander scale it comes down to would you rather risk two lives…or the millions of people within the city? The best course of option, at this point, is to limit the fallout as much as possible and if that means disposing of the host body—"

"Do you even hear what you're saying?" Caitlin demanded. "This is _Ronnie_ we're talking about. _And_ Martin Stein." Her voice shook as she continued with, "As my best friend I thought you would know how I would feel about something like this."

Cadence closed her eyes for a moment before bringing up her hands. "I do understand, Cait. But I'm trying to get _you_ to understand that if Central City goes up in flames, it's not just those two who will be gone. You'll be dead too. And Cisco and Harrison and Barry and Brady and Iris and Joe and Eddie and your parents. Me. Everyone you have ever loved, your friends from school will be gone like _that_." She snapped her fingers. "If there's a way to contain that—"She took a deep breath. "Two against two million? That's not a choice for me."

"Of course it's not a choice for you," Caitlin hissed. "You've already killed more people than the rest of could ever imagine. What's two more?" Cadence looked taken aback and turned away from Caitlin. She made the mistake of looking over at Barry and he saw the hurt, confusion and guilt in her eyes.

"Caitlin," Barry started slowly. "I think that's a little too—"He broke off as Caitlin turned her glare to him. Barry pressed his lips together and exchanged a glance with Cisco, who looked just as surprised to see Caitlin so emotional. But on the other hand he understood how Caitlin felt. If his mother ever was revealed to be alive in some unfounded way, he would do anything to make sure that she wasn't taken away from him again.

"I'm not going to lose Ronnie again," Caitlin said firmly. She turned to Harrison, who leveled his gaze at her, waiting for her to lash out at him as well. "I'll do everything I can to stop this from happening. I just need you to tell me what to do."

Cadence took a step away from the group and, shaking her head, started out of the room. Brady looked up at her and reached out for her wrist, starting after her. "Mom?" He asked voice tiny as if he had crawled into her bed after having been scared by a late night movie or creepy shadows on the wall. Barry reached out and grasped his shoulder and Brady turned back to him, dropping his hands to his sides. He looked up at him and pressed his lips together. "Will you help my Mom?"

"Of course," Barry replied. He patted the young boy on the shoulder before hurrying out of the Cortex after her. "Cade," he called. She kept walking though noticeable slowed her pace. "Cade, come on. You know that's not what Caitlin meant."

"You know something that's really good about being a metahuman that has powers of heat and fire?" She asked, turning to him. "It makes me a really good lie detector. You see, when people lie their body temperatures rise due to the fear of being caught in said lie because of the adrenaline running through your body. So I can tell you don't believe in what you're saying to me. She meant what she said. And you know how I know?" Barry slowly shook his head. "I can sense other people's body heat. She was angry, she meant it." A frustrated sigh escaped her lips, blowing her fringe off her forehead. "I can't say I'm not surprised; anyone who knows what I did would be wary around me. I mean, you don't even trust me."

"Yes, I do," Barry insisted. He reached out a hand and pushed her chin upwards so he could look directly at him. "I do trust you. I trust you 100%. It took me a while to figure things out and yeah you made a choice you thought was the best for you that other people may not have made. But that's the point of morals and ethics, the grey are in our decisions are always hard to justify. But you've proven time and time again that you're on our side and are doing your best to prove it. She's just upset. Her fiancé isn't really dead and now she's being told she has to kill him."

"I know that. I had to deal with the same thing for you; you became my friend and then I had to kill you."

Barry flashed her a warming smile, hoping to get her to at least laugh. "I know and I'm still here for better or worse. Which may prove that you just have bad aim or at least are a bad shot."

Cadence shook her head, turning her head aside. "But there is truth to what she's said. I've done some pretty terrible things—"

"—when you were brainwashed and the Assassination Bureau made you feel like you didn't have a choice, Cade," Barry insisted. He removed his hand from her chin and placed them on her shoulders, holding her still. "You're not a bad person and you shouldn't define yourself by the things you've done in the past." He gave her a funny look. "Do you know how much of a nerd I could've been?"

Finally, Cadence laughed and gave him a funny look. " _Could've been_?" she repeated. "How much of a nerd you _could've_ been? I haven't seen anyone get so excited about a scientific journal arriving in the mail than you."

"You have your hobbies," Barry defended himself. Cadence smiled and Barry leaned in, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I know this is a hard decision to make up—"

"It's not hard enough," Cisco said, hurrying up to the two of them. He paused for a moment, looking back and forth between the two. "Alright, Imma ask about this later, but there's some more important going on. Ronnie and Stein are gone. They got out of STAR Labs and they went _somewhere_. Come on!" He turned and raced back to the Cortex with Barry and Cadence right behind him.

"They're gone?" Barry asked, turning to Harrison and Caitlin, who were both standing over an x-looking contraption. "Is that the Tachyon device?"

"Yes," Harrison agreed, leaning over it with a sodder in his hands. Smoke arose from the device as they watched. "This is what is going to be used to help Ronnie and Stein control their atoms as well as be the way for them to figure out how to separate." He paused. "In theory, anyway?"

"How'd they get out?" Cadence asked.

Caitlin shook her head, wringing her hands together. "While we were figuring out what to do about them it seems that they made the decision themselves." She shook her head. "I have no idea where they would've gone, too. The safest distance away from Central City to reduce the chance of the nuclear fallout is our best bet, but that's only if they went at least that far."

Cadence hummed for a second before going over to Cisco's empty computer. She sat down in the seat and pulled up the tracking program she had seen the others use many times before. Pressing her lips together, she tapped her fingers on the keys and looked over as Brady moved to her side, resting his chin on her arm. "What's up, bud?"

"Are you feeling better?" He asked.

"Much. Right now I'm trying to figure out where Ronnie and Professor Stein could've gone." One of the things she was glad to have learned from her time in the Assassination Bureau was her ability to track people simply from hours to days of watching. With the short amount of time she had to see Ronnie and Professor Stein it was obvious Professor Stein was in control. As he was the one in control he was the one to direct Ronnie's body where he wanted to go. "And these guys don't want to be found," she murmured. Eyes narrowing for a moment, Cadence turned towards her son. "Whenever you don't want to be found, where do you go?"

Brady shrugged. "Somewhere no one would be able to find me." He paused. "But you always find me."

"Because you never pick a place that's one hundred percent easy to hide in," Cadence pointed out. She tilted her head to the side, thinking hard, then her eyes widened. "In Central City where's the best place to go to by completely by yourself, away from electronics and city life where you think no one would find you?"

Barry thought for a moment then lifted his chin. "The Badlands," he said. "Just outside of Central City about thirty….miles…away." Cadence nodded and navigated through the tracking system, smiling when it came back with exactly what she had been expecting. At the sound of the beeping on the monitor, Caitlin raced over.

"It's exactly the middle of nowhere," Caitlin said. "Where no one would be able to get to him in time. Which means—"

"—He, well, _they_ , are going to take care of the problem themselves," Cisco explained, having taken over for Caitlin and finished off the Tachyon device. "We have to get moving. There's not much time left for them to be out there."

"Good job, bud," Cadence congratulated her son, giving him a high-five. "You really helped us figure out where they are." Brady smiled back before going to Harrison's and Cisco's side to watch them finish their experiment.

"Pinpointing them to the best place to access in a short amount of time yet the safest distance away is genius," Harrison said. He looked at Cadence over his shoulder with a proud smile. "Why Miss. Nash, I do believe you've found where you belong on this team," Harrison commented. He pulled the sodder away and turned it off. "We're done. This Quantum Splicer needs to be placed on Professor Stein and we need to get out of there as fast as we can."

Barry looked over at Cadence and the two nodded before changing into their suits. Once suited up, Barry walked out to the Cortex, hand outstretched to take the Quantum Splicer from Caitlin but she held onto it firmly. "W-what are you doing?" He demanded.

"I'm going with you," Caitlin said firmly. "I'm the one that knows how to get this to work and you're going to need as much time as you can get, rather than have the information relayed to you."

"Cait—"Cadence started.

"I'm going!" Caitlin insisted, eyes flashing. She looked back and forth between the two. "Now, am I going to have to hope I can get there myself or are one of you going to take me?" Barry pressed his lips together and nodded. Reaching behind his head, he pulled his hood into place before taking Caitlin's hand and pulled her into his arms. Cadence teleported out of STAR Labs and Barry was right behind her, off at top speed.

 _Please don't let the Black Flash show up at a time like this,_ he thought as he raced to Ronnie's exact location.

They arrived at the Badlands within seconds and found Ronnie holding a gun to his head. "Professor Stein, stop!" Barry shouted. Ronnie whipped around to glare at them. "You don't know what you're doing, we can separate you." Barry set Caitlin down on the ground and she started to inch towards him.

"That's impossible!" Ronnie shouted back. "You need to get out of here. You and the rest of Central City, you're all going to die. I'm not going to let that be my fault!" He put the gun to his head once more before reacting with surprise when Cadence teleported beside him and disarmed him with speed. "Give it back!"

"We have this device that'll split you apart," Caitlin cried desperately. "This Quantum Splicer will bombard your atoms with as much energy that you experienced during the Particle Accelerator explosion and it should split you apart." She reached out her hand to place it on Ronnie's chest. "It will stop the explosion and split you apart. It'll save you and everyone else in Central City."

Barry held his breath as Caitlin continued to inch towards Ronnie. He stared at her as she approached, obviously torn between letting her put the device on or continue to push her away. Finally, Caitlin got close enough to plant the device on his chest. She backed away as the arms opened and attached to the front of his chest. Heart pounding in his throat, Barry watched as Ronnie looked down at the device then smiled back a Caitlin, seconds before his hands burst into flames.

Startled, Caitlin took a few shaky steps backwards.

Ronnie let out a cry of pain as the fire encompassed his body. "It's not working," Caitlin cried. There was a bright flash of light as the pain took over Ronnie's body, making him write in pain. "Ronnie! No!" She reached out her hand and recoiled as a blast of fire moved her way. Barry raced down the small slope and grabbed onto Caitlin's arms, pulling her backwards.

Cadence immediately leapt in front of Caitlin and reflected the fire blast back at Firestorm before holding up her hands and shot fire back at him. Her teeth gritted in concentration as she held him off. Caitlin continued to writhe against Barry's grasp and he held onto her as tightly as he could, pulling her up into his arms once more.

"No! NO!" He shouted towards Cadence. "Cade, what are you doing?"

"You can't outrun the blast!" Cadence called back. "I'm going to bide you some time. Get Caitlin out of here."

"You don't have to do this!" Barry shouted. His heart leapt into his throat as he watched the fire around Ronnie increase in size, mixed along with Cadence's. In his ears he could hear Cisco and Harrison shouting at him to get out of the blast area combine with Caitlin's cries of despair.

"If I don't do this, all of us are going to be caught in the blast," Cadence explained as calmly as she could, though he could hear her voice shaking. "Get her out of here, Barry!" She turned and gave a half smile to Caitlin. "Seems to me that I'm always protecting you from something," she said. "I've always got your back, Cait."

"Ronnie!" Caitlin shouted. "Cade!"

"GO NOW!" Cadence shouted. "RUN!" She turned back to Ronnie and sent another surge of fire towards him, causing the combining flames to tower in the sky.

Barry closed his eyes and turned away from Cadence. He clutched Caitlin tightly against his chest before taking off across the ground. He ran as fast as he could, but seconds later heard the loudest explosion he had ever heard and made it a few feet before the cloud of energy caught him from behind. It struck him in the back, enveloping him in a dark cloud before the energy of the explosion struck him and he went flying, losing his hold on Caitlin.

She tumbled out of his grasp and Barry blindly fell through the air before crashing to the ground and everything went black.

* * *

 **A/N:** Huh, I've been ignoring Barry's plot with the Black Flash for a bit so here's an update with that, which is why Cade's fight with Firestorm was reduced. Just like my last story, this is the point of the story where more of my original plot starts to take over from the show's plot; however the show's plot does continue to come in. And here's for those who may have noticed that Caitlin's plot with her growing powers have taken a step back.

So what did you guys think? A bit of a shocking end, right? Well, it brings in more BarryCade with the next chapter, but it also brings in more of her familial relationships with Brady, Ryder, and Harrison as well. But also has a lot to do with Cisco.

Also, this chapter title and the next one are very significant.

I've got a question for you guys about _Legends of Tomorrow_ : do you think Sara is getting a lot of screen time? Honestly, I want to see more of Mick (why did they do that to him) who is already the least favored over Snart, and then Sara seems to have a big part in every episode so far. I'd like to see more of Ray and some background/characterization for him (other than the shoehorned thing with Kendra) as well as Rip and Stein. But that's just me. What do you guys think?

Thanks for reading!

 **-Riles**


	26. Chaos Control

**.:26.**

* * *

Cisco crossed his arms as he waited for the protective plate covering Hartley's cell to open. They had to feed everyone they kept within the Pipeline, but Hartley? He could starve to death for all Cisco cared. As a matter of fact, if there was any way he knew of to wipe that smug expression off the metahuman's face starving him probably wouldn't be the way to do it. Whacking him silly like a piñata may do something and he really did need the practice for the next Ramon gathering.

As the protective plate moved away, Cisco rolled his eyes, seeing that Hartley was already smirking. Didn't this guy have any other expression he showed on his face? Anything that would at least make a him a _little_ bit likeable? Even as Hartley's eyes flickered over to the Big Belly Burger bag that sat atop the cart beside Cisco, the mechanical engineer couldn't help but allow his temper to flare.

He absolutely hated Hartley Rathaway.

"You know, I would prefer to have Thai food," Hartley commented. "I've had a real big craving for it."

"Well too bad, buddy, this isn't a buffet," Cisco replied. "And it's also not a restaurant. You'll take what you get and eat it." He opened a small door and shoved the bags of food inside before closing the door once more. Hartley's eyes passed over the food but he didn't move o take it. "Or you can starve to death, that's fine with me, too."

A chuckle escaped Hartley's lips. "I don't think you'd want hat, Cisco. You're too good to want to place ill will on anyone else."

"On anyone else, maybe," Cisco agreed. "On you? I'd rather see you rot in the ground."

"Tough words for someone who has lost so much already. Or are you still on the bottom of the pile of your family's pecking order. I seem to remember your brother Dante being here at one point, because you wanted to prove to him that you were really contributing to your family."

"Shut up," Cisco murmured.

Of course Hartley knew the best place to get at him, to pick at his shell. His parents, his brother, his family…they were never that great to him. Yes, their holiday parties and things were great and his mother was a mean flamenco dancer, but he was the black sheep of the family for sure. Everything Dante did was gold while everything he did was crap and looked down upon. _He_ was the one with the real job and his brother was the one who wowed the crowd with his piano playing skills.

Anyone could play the piano. How many people were able to create a suit for the Fastest Man Alive, keep up with the upkeep, and continue to create gizmos and gadgets that no one else would ever think of. Then again most people wouldn't ever be able to know about them as they couldn't see the normal light of day in case things went badly. But that wasn't the point.

"Now with Ronnie and Martin Stein back here I'm sure you all are going to have a lot of questions that you'll need to answer by the general public. What was it that caused them to be missing for so long and what did the Particle Accelerator have to do with it? I'm sure Dr. Wells would _love_ to have the police sniffing around when he's got such a big secret to hold."

Cisco felt his body immediately freeze. That was right. In the commotion with Firestorm's resurgence he completely forgot about whatever Hartley had against Harrison. Which seemed to be the reason for him coming back and wreaking havoc in the first place.

"Ohhh." Hartley pouted. "Don't tell me that you started to look at Harrison Wells like a father-figure. Just remember, I made the same mistake too and look where that got me." He examined his nails before looking around his cell. "A cell that's no bigger than ones they have in jail. And, as I'm sure you know by now, he already has a kid _and_ a grandson, why would he want anyone else in his life? Maybe they know all his secrets too…how much can you trust them?"

"I can trust them 100% more than I can ever trust you," Cisco snarled. He reached out to press the button that would move the protective plate along Hartley's cell once more.

Hartley cleared his throat, his eyes boring into Cisco's. "It's always secrets that tears families apart, so why won't you believe that this one is being torn apart as well?" His eyes narrowed for a moment. "And there's another question of why you're so worried about it. Last I've checked, you were the one that locked Ronnie in the room."

Cisco's eyes shifted away from Hartley.

"Oh! That's it. You're still upset over the fact that _you_ killed Ronnie. That's it, definitely. But what if I were to tell you that you weren't the reason for Ronnie being killed. No. Not at all. You see, it didn't matter whether or not you closed that door because the Particle Accelerator was going to explode anyway."

"Cisco." Turning around, Cisco found Harrison slowly wheeling his way up the ramp towards them. His eyes were locked on Hartley's as he moved forward. Finally, he came to a stop, resting his hands in his lap. "I was wondering where you got off to. You were only supposed to give food to all of our prisoners, not stop and chat."

"Are you afraid I might have told him something you don't want to get out?" Hartley taunted.

Cisco watched as Harrison's eyebrow twitched but the pleasant smile never left his face. Instead, he folded his hands and watched Hartley for a long moment. Finally, he turned his attention to Cisco and nodded towards the button on the wall. "Please close this pod. There isn't anything else that we need Hartley for."

 _But what's Hartley talking about?_ Cisco thought, doing as he was told. _He's mentioned the same secret over and over again and Dr. Wells have never tried to correct him on what he's been saying. What does he have over him?_ He looked at Harrison once more, dutifully following him as he went back to the medical room.

Cisco sighed heavily as he watched Brady sit on the side of Cadence's bed, watching her. Every now and then he would sit up straight and peer over her face, as if expecting her to wake up, then his shoulders slumped and he went back to picking at his fingernails. A breathing mask was placed over her face, an IV in her arm, and a heart monitor attached at least let them know the damage from Firestorm's nuclear explosion hadn't been too bad.

Ronnie and Professor Stein were sitting on their own beds with Caitlin doing another check on them. It had to be done. Since they were split apart Harrison had insisted they were continuously checked so that there wasn't another risk of a nuclear fallout. If it weren't for Cadence's absorbing as much of the blast as she did, it would've been worse for Barry and Caitlin, who had become caught up in it themselves, at least of the tail end of the blast. It was the blast of pure energy that had gotten them rather than the nuclear energy and radiation.

"Where's Barry?" Cisco asked.

"The CCPD were responding to the sound of the blast and Barry went along with them," Caitlin explained. "I guess to throw them off the trail a little." She smiled at Ronnie after removing the stethoscope from his chest and then moved over to Professor Stein to do the same. Then she pulled the plugs from her ears. "Everything has continuously been steady. I think they're going to be okay."

"That's certainly good to hear," Harrison said. "Because there ought to be some good news before I say what I have to say." He cleared his throat, eyes briefly shooting over towards Cadence before looking at the others once more. "I haven't been entirely truthful with all of you. Any of you. The Particle Accelerator…Hartley warned me that there was a chance it could explode. His data did not show 100% certainly, just that there was a real risk. But I made the decision that the reward outweighed the risk." He paused. "I'm sorry."

Cisco pressed his lips together. What? What? Harrison was the one that knew there was a chance of the Particle Accelerator going off? And Hartley told him? Ugh, he never hated Hartley more….trying to blackmail Harrison like that. But at the same time… _He knew_. Cisco reminded himself. _He knew of the risk and decided to do it. And it killed so many people. Not just the ones who were at STAR Labs that day but those who were ultimately hit by the wave of energy. The hospitals were filled with injuries and emergencies._ Even Cisco's mother and father had to be treated for minor injuries after the explosion. Ronnie—as they he had thought—had died along with others in STAR Labs. He had broken his arm, Caitlin had bruises, cuts, and abrasions, and Harrison lost the use of his legs. All because of a risk.

And it was a good risk. The technological advances they could make because of the Particle Accelerator working? They were scientists, wasn't that the point? And it wasn't like Hartley was completely trustworthy as it was. And what could they have done to change the outcome?

Cisco looked up, locking his eyes with Harrison and he swallowed hard. He could see it in the man's eyes, the guilt of the consequences. And yet he could still see in his eyes that he thought he made the best decision. If he hadn't done that, they would've have had Barry be the Flash, the heart of the city. But then again…there wouldn't have been any metahumans around either.

 _And you wouldn't have found your new family if it hadn't have happened,_ Cisco reminded himself. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when he spotted Caitlin pull herself up to her full height and place a cold glare on Harrison. It was colder than the looks she would give right after the explosion. _That's right,_ Cisco reminded himself. _They were in a relationship. This must hurt her more than anything else…_

Caitlin slowly walked over to Harrison and stood in front of him, clenching her hands into fists. The only sound that broke through the room was the sound of Cadence's heat monitor steadily beeping. "The next time you choose to put our lives and the lives of the people we love at risk, I expect a heads up," she hissed at him.

"Dr. Snow—"Harrison started but Caitlin raised her hand, cutting him off.

"Look what you've done, Dr. Wells!" Caitlin cried, eyes flashing. "Ronnie and Professor Stein were fused together and could've killed themselves because they were trying to keep anyone else form getting hurt. You could've _killed_ Barry; you _killed_ all of those other people. And look what all of this has done to Cadence! She might be dying too, but we don't know for sure. And it was all because of your selfish pride."

"Caitlin," Ronnie said, grabbing her attention. He reached up a hand and placed it on her neck, gently rubbing her skin. "Everything's fine now. Professor Stein and I…we're fine now. Everything's going to be okay."

"And yet for the past year I thought you were dead. I grieved your life." She then turned her attention to Professor Stein, who watched the spectacle stoically. "Clarissa grieved your life!" He lowered his head at the mention of his wife. Cisco knew everything about Professor Stein's life and what he left behind through research after Hartley's initial inklings of what happened to Ronnie. It had to have been hard to realize that her husband was missing and more than likely wasn't coming back. But to not know what happened and just sit and _wonder?_ That had to have been worse. "And yet you can't seem to understand everything Harrison has done has done nothing but hurt this city more than it has helped." Caitlin took in a deep breath through her nose. "I…" she trailed off. "I need to be alone."

She shook off Ronnie's arm as she moved to leave the room, but wasn't fast enough for Professor Stein. "My dear, I understand you're upset by what you've been told, but this isn't something that you can take to heart. It is something that has happened in the past and the only thing you can do right now is take that and look towards the future."

"Trust me, I will," Caitlin agreed. "I'm not going to let a mistake like this happen again." She pulled her arm from Professor Stein's grasp and left medical room.

Harrison twisted his mouth to the side and wheeled closer to the bed where his daughter lay, but turned his attention to Brady, who sat quietly throughout the conversation. The young boy lifted his chin and looked Harrison in the eye. "I don't expect you to be very happy with me either," Harrison said to him. "And I don't blame you."

Brady shook his head. "I'm not mad," he said. He turned towards his mother and brushed a strand of her hair off her forehead before looking back at Harrison once more. This time a look of determination was in his eyes. "My Mom will do anything to protect everyone she loves. And she did that. But she's a fighter. She'll be okay." He nodded to confirm his words.

Cisco smiled.

"Yes," Harrison agreed. He reached out and gently smoothed Cadence's hair back. "She's a fighter."

* * *

Barry sighed, stretching his arms over his head as he and Joe walked into CC Jitters with the rest of the CCPD behind them. The trip up to the Badlands had been a waste of time, but he had to pretend there was something for them to look over. He had pulled Joe aside and explained what was going on but they still had to go through the motions. Maybe he really needed to do it, to keep himself from freaking out. If they hadn't had gone out there to help Ronnie and Professor Stein then Cadence wouldn't be lying in STAR Labs in a coma.

But if they _hadn't_ had gone to help them, then they would've lost two lives for nothing. And who knows if the blast would've stayed in the Badlands, it could've had a further reach than any of them would have expected. Barry couldn't get the thought of what happened after he came to out of his head.

"Barry! Barry! Wake up!"

Feeling his shoulders being shaken, Barry's eyes slowly opened. At first he had to wave some smoke and dust out of his face. Then he had to swallow hard a few times, to pop his hears. Once they popped they started to ring quietly, alerting him he had been damaged in some way though his body certainly didn't feel it. Coughing, Barry sat up with the help of Caitlin as she grabbed his arm, pulling him into a sitting position.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" Caitlin asked as Barry continued to try and find his bearings.

"Yeah," Barry replied, voice hoarse. "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"Yes. Thank you." Caitlin threw her arms around Barry's neck and the two friends hugged each other tightly, trembling. They could've been killed by that blast if Barry hadn't been able to run fast enough to get them to safety. Despite being able to heal quickly Barry could feel the soreness in his muscles and bones and knew Caitlin had to be worse. But what about the others? The thought seemed to have crossed their minds at the same time for they both let go and scrambled to their feet.

Caitlin flung her arm across Barry's shoulders and Barry picked her up, hurrying her to where the explosion originated from. He placed her on the ground, looking through the thick smog and dust that covered the area. Caitlin bobbed and weaved, looking through the area until she saw a figure lying on the ground. Caitlin hurried down the slope and towards the figure with Barry following her. As Caitlin hurried down to Ronnie's side, Barry spotted Professor Stein and went to him. He placed his hand on the man's shoulder and turned him over to his back.

"Professor Stein?" He called. As the man coughed, coming to, Barry got a good look at his face. He had met the man before, on the way to Central City, from Starling, to meet up with Iris before the Particle Accelerator was turned on. "Professor Stein, are you okay?"

"Yes," the man replied after a minute. "Why, yes, I do believe I am." He allowed himself to be brought up off the ground. Grasping Barry's hand he held it firmly. "I don't know how you did it, but thank you so much."

"You're welcome." The two then turned to find Caitlin and Ronnie in a tight hug, her face buried in his neck and his in her hair. "I hate to break this up, but we should get these guys back to STAR Labs to see how everything's worked out." Caitlin smiled and nodded, then her smile faded and her eyes shifted around. "Where's Cadence?" Barry's heart leapt into his throat and he twisted around, trying to find his fallen friend. He didn't see anything within the blast radius but if she had been that close to Firestorm when the explosion when off, she couldn't still be that close. "The blast would've knocked her away from them."

"I'm on it." Barry nodded and turned on his heel, running up to the edge of the blast zone. He shifted back and forth, hoping to find her. Then the wind shifted and he saw a crumpled figure lying on the ground. "Over here!" He called before racing over to her. "Cade? Cade, wake up!" He went to grab her shoulders but quickly pulled them back once he had been burned. "Ah!" He shook off the stinging pain before grabbing her shoulders firmly. He leaned over her soot filled face, her goggles dangling around her neck, cracked in the corner. She didn't move. "Cade. Can you hear me?" He leaned back, breathing heavily, unsure of what to do. "Cadence!" He shook her shoulders and her head flopped back and forth.

Barry gasped for air, waiting for the others to get to him. "Cade, come on you have to wake up." His voice cracked as he continued to plead with her. "Hey, come on. Please. Please, wake up. _Please!_ "

"She must've absorbed the blast," Caitlin said, skidding down to Barry's side. She started to reach out her hands but didn't come nearly as close as Barry due to the intense heat coming off of her. "It has to be doing something with her powers but I can't tell unless we get her back to STAR Labs." She shook her head. "I can't tell if she's breathing."

"There's a reason Cisco made this suit with a firefighter in mind," Barry pointed out. He reached out his hands and scooped them under Cadence's body, pulling her into his chest. Cadence's head lolled to the side, eyes still closed. "I'll be back."

He zoomed to STAR Labs and into the medical bay, placing Cadence onto a bed and shouting for Cisco and Harrison to help him. Then he came back with Caitlin, Ronnie, and Professor Stein. The two halves of Firestorm went to be checked out while Harrison, Cisco, and Caitlin went to work putting as many monitors onto Cadence as they could while Barry stood aside, comforting Brady as best he could. But he knew it was better for the young boy to let his feelings out, it was what he needed once his mother passed.

He couldn't save Cadence just as he couldn't save his mother.

Now as he went through the line that formed at the counter of Jitters he tried not to let his aching feet and heavy heart pull him down. But it was hard. How was he supposed to have these powers if he couldn't avenge his mother's death and not save anyone else that needed help? There was always a risk when they went off to fight a metahuman, he just didn't think it would be that bad. He didn't think he would see anyone so close to him, someone he cared about, fall like that.

"Hey," Joe said from behind him. "Once Captain Singh clears out then you can head back to STAR Labs. Right now you deserve a break."

"Yeah, I guess," Barry said.

"You've got that Hartley guy, it's not like all of this was for nothing," Joe reminded him. "If he hadn't said anything to you about Ronnie and Professor Stein then who knows when the explosion would've happened. It could've hurt or killed even more people." He sniffed. "Not that any of us would know it, I can't expect Harrison Wells to be one that would warn anyone of anything before it happens."

Barry's eyebrows furrowed together as he turned back to Joe and studied him. "What's with you and Dr. Wells?" He asked. "I know you two don't really see eye-to-eye but it's like you're waiting for him to do something wrong every time he so much as breathes." The two ordered their drinks and went to an empty table. Barry took a sip and rubbed his hands on his pants legs. "So what's up?"

"Nothing," Joe insisted. "It's just that…" He pressed his lips together, gently blowing air behind them. "I have this feeling that he's hiding something. About what's going on with Hartley Rathaway."

"Well, Rathaway is a complete jerk so I understand that he might not have bragged about him," Barry pointed out.

"Just like he doesn't brag about his dead girlfriend?"

Barry felt his face grow pale. So Joe knew about Tess. He tried to keep his face neutral but by the way Joe was looking at him, he knew his surrogate father knew for sure that Barry knew about Tess as well. He opened his mouth to try and protest, to wrap his head around it and instead found himself babbling. Joe managed a small laugh before he shrugged innocently.

"He's taken up a big part of our lives, Bare," Joe explained. "I just wanted to know more about him. To see if there's anything that he would like to share in his otherwise mysterious existence." He gave Barry a pointed look over the top of his mug as he drank from it.

"So ask me." Barry tried to keep his voice neutral but didn't sound as convincing as he had hoped.

"I'm just saying that it sounds like you don't know him as well as you think. That he's not as forgiving about his life than we have been to him."

A sigh escaped Barry's lips. He brought his hands up and rested them on the back of his head as he tried to figure out how to explain the situation. Barry shrugged in a non-committal manner. "I know about Tess. I know he has a daughter, a grandson. I know he has an amazing background in science. I've read his entire biography. I know a lot about him. His background with Tess might be—"

"—Did you say Tess?" Iris asked, walking over to the table.

"Hi baby," Joe greeted his daughter, wrapping his arm around her in a hug.

"Hey," Iris replied. She turned and gave Barr a hug as well before taking a seat at the empty table along with them. "Do you mind if I join you? Eddie's other there talking to Captain Singh and some of the other higher-ups." She tilted her head in his direction. "And I don't particularly care to sit and watch him try to play nice with the man." The three exchanged a glance and started to smile a little.

"So what are you doing here?" Barry asked. "Shouldn't you be working hard to become the next big journalist at the Central City Picture News?" He and Joe exchanged a glance as Iris rolled her eyes and ran her hands over her face. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Just that I'm not the best writer at the Central City Picture News," Iris replied. She hugged her arms to her chest. "It turns out the real reason they hired me is because of my so-called connection to the Flash. Which I don't have. And I've been teamed up with Mason Bridge who is a legend, who I admired, before he told me I was a worthless, talentless Millennial. So, I'm screwed."

"You're not screwed, Iris," Joe pointed out. "You're just having a bit of a setback."

Barry nodded in agreement. "If this Mason guy doesn't see what a talented journalist you are, then he's probably a lousy writer."

Iris raised an eyebrow. "He won the Pulitzer. Twice."

Barry grimaced and exchanged a look with Joe, who also tried not to let the amazement of her statement get to him. Instead, Barry cleared his throat and nodded like a bobble head. "G-Good for him then."

Laughing, Iris pulled her hair back from her face. "Thanks anyway, for trying to cheer me up." She sighed. "They want me to write as the Flash and only the Flash. And if I don't' write something really great, really good then I think I might be fired before I even really start."

"Don't' worry, we'll figure out a good story for you to do," Barry reassured her. "I'll help; you know I'm always here for you." He tried to push away the pang of guilt. How true was that? They hadn't really spoken a lot throughout the last couple of months but he had been really busy with all of his metahuman stuff and her job. At least he was making up for it now. "Do you have any leads?"

"Well, it's funny that you mention it." Iris tapped her fingers along the edge of her mug, stalling before she continued. "It's funny that you mentioned Tess. There's a Tess Morgan that I see here at Jitters every now and then. I've talked to her a few times. And she seems to have something about her. I'm not sure what, though. She's said that she's from Starling City but has been to Maryland, Coast City, Central City, Keystone City, Astro City, Midway City…but that she was in Coast City recuperating from a car accident. And she has background in science and she seemed to know Dr. Wells…"

Barry held his breath as Iris explained what she knew. If this Tess was the same person Harrison had spoken of then this Tess Morgan was Harrison's wife and Cadence's mother. Except she wasn't dead, she was very much alive and in Central City. And it didn't seem like anyone else but Iris knew.

"You know, I don't know about this story," Barry snapped back to attention as he found himself saying it. "It might be prying a bit too much into her personal life."

"But just think about how this can go. She's obviously a really big person in the science industry so knowing that she's back in Central City for whatever reason has to be a great story. And if she has a past with Dr. Wells, I can get him in on the story as well," Iris insisted. "Maybe clear his name."

Barry looked over at Joe and he could see a storm brewing within the man's eye. He really, truly wanted to encourage Iris as much as she could with the job she had, but at the same time it was too close to STAR Labs. Too close to Cisco and Caitlin and Ronnie and Professor Stein. Too close to everything that made a difference in his life and the future of Central City. Joe took a deep breath to steady himself and Barry knew he was about to disappoint Iris.

"I kind of have to agree with Barry, I don't think it's a good idea," Joe said slowly.

Iris shrugged. "I'm not going to stick with stories about the Flash. I'm going to be the best journalist I can be."

"But with Dr. Wells, he's really, _very_ private about his life—"

"—and you don't know Tess the way I do," Iris insisted. "She'll sit down and talk to me. Or at least let me make a little bit of a story about her. I think it's really good and that my boss would like it." She brought her mug back toward her chest. "I thought you would be proud of me."

"We _are_ proud of you," Barry insisted. "It might just be a good idea to start off with a smaller story." He gritted his teeth together, hoping his frustration didn't show. "Maybe start with a story on the Flash so that your boss can see what you can do, when listening to his suggestions, and _then_ do some other stories."

Joe pointed towards Barry. "That's a really good idea. And it'll be a win-win for both you and your boss." He leaned over and gave Iris a kiss on the side of the head. "You're going to be great, baby. But right now I think I need to save my partner." He smiled at Iris and Barry before getting up from the table and walked over to Eddie, who had been sending him looks for the past few minutes.

Barry smiled and turned back to Iris, reaching out to grab her hand. "Iris, you're an amazing writer. You can do this."

"Thanks." Iris smiled and squeezed his hand back. "It's nice to know I still have my best friend on my side."

Barry nodded back. He started to say something else but stopped when his cell phone started to ring. He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the caller ID. His heart immediately slammed into his throat when he spotted Brady's name pop up on screen.

"Hey Brady, what's up?" He asked, turning away from Iris.

"You need to get back here _now_! Hartley got out."

* * *

Brady walked into the Cortex, watching as Cisco held Hartley's gloves in his hands and twisted a screwdriver in it. He sat down next to Cisco and leaned over to watch what he was doing before sighing quietly. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm trying to figure out how Hartley was able to use these gloves," Cisco replied. "That dick—" he immediately broke off, looking down at Brady's face. "I mean, that _jerk_ really knows his way around gadgets and I'm having a bit of a hard time figuring out what happened here."

"Oh." Brady nodded and continued to watch quietly, twisting a slingshot back and forth in his hands. Cisco noticed it and asked him about the weapon. "I brought this in for show and tell today. I've had it for a long time. Mom got it for me one Christmas. I'm a really good shot, I can knock down a pop can from ten feet away."

"Wow, that's pretty far," Cisco said.

"Mhm. I practice as much as I can. I bet I can get even further now." Brady turned and pulled the pocket of the slingshot back as far as the weapon would allow the stretch, closing one eye as he did so. "I bet it could really come in handy."

"How are the others doing?" Cisco asked gently. He put down the gloves and turned towards Brady, resting his hands in his lap. "Has there been any change?"

Brady frowned, lowering his head. No. There hadn't been any change. His Mom was still lying quietly on the hospital bed and Ronnie and Professor Stein were starting to get restless being stuck in the medical room. But they had no choice but to stay there until they were given 100% clearance to leave STAR Labs. Brady explained so and his frown deepened. "I think my Mom was mad at me before this happened. Because I had to show Conner that I had powers."

"You were protecting everyone in your school, Brady," Cisco gently reminded him. "If I was in third grade and I had powers, I'd do the same thing. And it was really brave."

Brady shrugged. "I just did what my Mom or Barry…or you or Caitlin would do."

"And we need more kids like that in Central City. You did good, kid." Cisco reached over his desk and pulled a Twizzler out of the packet, handing it over to Brady. The young boy took it and smiled as Cisco picked one up for himself, holding it out. "You did good." The two slapped their Twizzlers together before taking a bite. Cisco grinned and turned back to the gloves.

Brady kneeled on his chair and looked over the techno glove, tilting his head to the side as he quietly chewed on the candy. "So why do you hate Hartley?"

"Because he's a dick," Cisco blurted before squeezing his eyes shut.

"You mean a jerk," Brady reminded him.

"Thanks."

Soon the boys became so engrossed in their work that they didn't notice Caitlin walked back into the Cortex until she was right beside them. A sigh escaped her lips and she grudgingly asked, "Where's Dr. Wells?"

"I don't know," Cisco replied. "He went somewhere after you blew up at him." He gave her a meaningful glance before sitting back and motioning to Hartley's gloves. "But I've been doing some work on this and Barry was right. Hartley was using sonic resonancy and intensity regulators measuring decibels."

"Huh?" Brady's nose wrinkled.

"He was using blasts of sound waves to demolish things," Caitlin simplified the explanation.

"Oh."

"But that's not the strange part," Cisco continued. "This is a very powerful device and he had it on the lowest setting. He could've destroyed his father's building in one blast. Almost as if he wanted to…" he suddenly trailed off, face turning pale. He got up from his seat and pushed over to the next computer and cursed when he saw the image—of Hartley's cell—was empty save for some glass sitting on the ground.

He had gotten out and was somewhere in the building.

Letting out a curse, Cisco pressed a button on the keyboard and an alarm started to blare, then he moved to the microphone that sat nearby and said, "Dr. Wells, there's been a pipeline breach." He then pushed away from the desk and raced out of the cortex with Caitlin taking his spot.

"What's going on?" Brady asked.

Caitlin glanced at him for a moment. "Somehow Hartley managed to get out of his cell in the pipeline though I'm not quite sure how he did it." She continued to tap the keys on the keyboard, alternately looking up at the screen. She frowned when she realized Cisco hadn't come into view on any of the screens yet. "Cisco?" She called. "Cisco, can you hear me?!"

All of a sudden footsteps headed their way and when Caitlin and Brady turned around, Hartley flung out his arm and caught Caitlin on the side of the head. She crashed to the floor and Brady immediately took a few steps back in case he was hit, too.

"Caitlin!" He cried.

Hartley turned his way and Brady immediately reached into his pocket for the stones he had in his pocket. Sticking one in the pouch, he pulled it back and let it go, striking Hartley on the side of the face. Crying out in pain, Hartley pressed his hand against the spot as it started to bleed. He glanced at his hand then glared over at Brady.

"What can a little kid do?" He asked himself, racing over to his gloves and snatching them up.

Brady pulled out another stone and fired it at Hartley once more, this time missing, but hitting the side of his glasses, putting a crack in the lens. Ignoring him, Hartley went over to the computer Cisco and Caitlin had been working on and pulled something up, staring intently at the screen. Brady raced from his room and ran towards the medical bay. He flew into the room and crouched down on the floor.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Ronnie asked him.

"Yes, what is it with all of the blaring sirens?" Professor Stein added.

"I need to call Barry," Brady explained. "Hartley's gotten out." He pulled out his cell phone and dialed in Barry's number. He picked up and Brady practically shouted into the phone, telling Barry what happened and to get to STAR Labs as quickly as he could. Then he hung up the phone and his eyes widened. "What about Dr. Wells?" He asked.

As soon as the words came from his lips there was another blaring sound, this time coming from nearby. Slapping his hands over his ears, Brady looked up to find the monitors surrounding Cadence were starting to go haywire. He stood up and watched as Cadence's eyes flew open. Almost as if she didn't have any wires on her body she leapt out of bed, wiping off the electrodes and ripping the IV out of her arm.

"Mom!" Brady cried happily.

"Where's Harrison?" she barked at him.

"I don't know," Brady replied.

"Stay here," she instructed before turning and running out of the room. Brady looked back at Ronnie and Professor Stein before he raced after his mother, closing the medical door behind him and hearing the sound of the mechanical latch engaging. The two ran through the halls of STAR Labs until they found Harrison lying on the ground, far away from his wheelchair, with Hartley walking closer to him.

"Tell me Harrison," he said to Harrison. "Am I still your guy?"

Cadence held up her hands and shot a stream of fire towards Hartley, causing him to back up. This time her flames were an even mixture of red and a maroon-ish black color and brilliant. They shot towards Hartley enough so that he backed up a step. Then she clapped her hands together, causing a shockwave to hit him and knock him back even more steps. "Don't touch my Dad!" She spat. Brady stood at Cadence's side, holding his lock on Hartley with his slingshot.

Hartley looked at them and held up his hands. He shot out a blast of sound towards them and the three were flung across the hallway before falling to the ground, when they looked up, he was gone. Brady landed hard on his stomach and wheezed for a few seconds, trying to catch his breath. He pushed himself to his knees before finally getting in another breath. "Mom?" Brady grabbed his mother's hand and helped her up. He grinned up at her. "You're okay."

"I'm okay," Cadence repeated. She ruffled his hair then turned back to Harrison, grasping his shoulder. "Dad?"

Harrison groaned and shook his head. He looked up at Cadence and nodded before turning his attention to the man that caused a blast of wind to buffet them. Barry skidded to a stop, breathing heavily from his effort of running at top speeds. "Dr. Wells!" He cried. Then his eyes shifted to Cadence and his face softened with so much relief Brady thought he would cry. "Cade!"

"Promise." Cadence accepted the hug Barry gave her and nodded over to Harrison. "But we need to get him back into his chair."

"Yeah." Barry reached down and grabbed Harrison's arm while Cadence took the other. She then placed her free on Brady's shoulder, squeezing it tightly, and the three whisked off to Harrison's abandoned wheelchair. Once they replaced him in the seat, they went back to the cortex where Caitlin waved a flashlight over Cisco's face.

"He's okay," Caitlin reported. "Just a slight concussion."

"Yeah, and it's going to be worse once I get my hands on him," Cisco mumbled.

"That won't be necessary, Cisco," Harrison said.

Caitlin turned to him and when she spotted Cadence up, her face softened the same way Barry's did and she hurried over and gave her a tight hug as well, pinning Cadence's arms to her sides. "It's good to see you back on your feet. Don't _ever_ do that again!"

"Thanks," Cadence replied. "So what did I miss?" As Barry and Cisco explained everything to her, Caitlin picked up a tablet that sat by their side and started to slide her finger along it. Her eyes widened as the seconds passed until she made a sound of surprise. "What?"

"Your power levels," Caitlin said slowly. "They've skyrocketed since before you woke up. Strength, speed, even portions of the metahuman factor in your DNA. It's like…it's like when you absorbed the energy blast that you—"

"—that you managed to get past your plateau," Harrison interrupted. "I can't say I'm _entirely_ surprised, fire is the element of chaos and there's nothing as chaotic as the nuclear explosion from Firestorm."

"Well, that's great," Cadence said. She started to smile. "That means we can go after Hartley and stop him."

"That's not a good idea," Caitlin insisted. "Not only have you just woken up and we can't get a complete grasp on what your power is like now. But what if you can't control it? And in a fight against Hartley, who can use sound to do anything, it may be more catastrophic than you think."

Brady took in a deep breath. "Then let me go," he said. All eyes turned to him and he looked back at them with as much maturity and seriousness he could imagine. "I can help. I promise I'll stay out of your way, but I can help. I know it."

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Barry asked.

Cisco shrugged. "If there's anything better than an eight year old secret weapon I don't know what is," he said. He slowly started to grin. "I can't wait to see the look on his face when he's taken down by him."

"What if you get hurt?" Cadence asked.

"I already got hurt when Firestorm's explosion hurt you. Nothing can hurt worse than that," Brady said honestly. "And, I can phase through things, I can get things to phase through me. I can't get hurt." He turned back to Barry and pressed his palms together. "I know I can't completely control my powers yet but I can help. _Please_! If Mom can't go, then you'll need someone else to help you."

"If we're going to make a decision then we'll need to make it now," Harrison said from a computer. "I've got Hartley locked at the Cleveland Dam."

"Why would he go so far as the Cleveland Dam?" Cadence asked.

"Seismic activity from the gloves, cracks the dam and…" Caitlin trailed off.

Brady held his breath as Barry tilted his head to the side, briefly closing his eyes. Finally he opened his eyes once more and nodded. "Okay, you can come with me," he finally decided. "But you need to listen to everything I say."

"Got it." Brady nodded.

"Oh." Cisco walked over to the room that held Barry's and Cadence's suits and grabbed a small device off of a metal table. He walked it back over to Brady and pressed it into his hand. "This is so you can communicate with us while you're out there. We can hear everything you say and vice verca." Brady nodded and fastened the ear-piece to his ear.

There was a crashing sound and everyone turned to watch Hartley climb atop a car after blasting one with a soundwave from his gloves. Barry pulled up the hood of his suit and grabbed Brady's arm, pulling the young boy onto his back before he raced to the Dam where Hartley was waiting for him.

"Barry, you need to disarm Hartley immediately. He's a master of deception and you'll never know his true endgame," Harrison said.

Barry nodded and set Brady down before turning to stock the hail storm of cards that Hartley sent up into the air. Brady ran to the side, dodging a rainstorm of glass and ducked behind a toll booth. Catching his breath, he turned and watched as Barry zoomed around, taking innocent bystanders out of their cars before turning back to Hartley.

Hartley sent blast after blast of wave Barry's way and Barry continued to zip back and forth across the road, managing to sidestep the blasts. He moved closer and closer to Hartley until he grabbed Hartley's gloves and slid them off the metahuman's hands, shoving him to the ground. Hartley immediately fell over and looked up at Barry as the speedy metahuman walked closer and closer to him.

"It's over, Hartley!" Barry declared. "You're finished."

Even from where he was crouching, Brady could see the smirk slide onto Hartley's face. "It's so funny," he drawled. "That you think he would replace me with you. A total idiot. I got you with the same trick twice." With that, there was a low sound of the gloves starting to vibrate and Barry screamed, his hands going to his head.

"Barry!" Brady called, hearing Caitlin's and Cadence's voices in his earpiece as he did so. Then Brady realized his mistake and he slapped his hand over his mouth. But Hartley didn't notice, instead he continued to walk around Barry in a circle, watching with fascination.

Barry continued to clutch the sides of his head in a death grip, falling to his knees. He coughed, blood spurting out of his mouth. He keeled over, curling up into a ball as he continued to groan. He coughed again and another spray of blood came shooting out, soaking into the pavement.

"Oh, that feeling you have through your body? That's the feeling of your organs ripping apart," Hartley stated. He placed his hands on his hips. "Hurts, doesn't it?"

 _There has to be something I can do._ Brady looked down at his feet and found larger rocks scattered around. He picked up a handful and shoved one of the largest ones into the pocket of his slingshot. Then he got to his feet and ran out from behind the tollbooth. "I hope this doesn't hurt too much!" He called before launching a rock at the side of Hartley's head. It hit him with so much force that Hartley fell to the ground with a cry of pain. He whipped around and glared at Brady.

"You again!" He cried. He lifted his gloves and sent a shockwave of sound Brady's way.

Brady held his breath and concentrated hard, tapping into his powers so that it went through him. Now Brady smirked as Hartley stared at him in confusion. Brady then turned his aim and shot rocks towards the cars closest to Hartley. After a few hits the car alarms started to blare, sending a wave of sound straight into Hartley's already sensitive ears.

He cried out, bringing his hands up to cover them, twisting to the ground.

"Good job, Brady," Caitlin congratulated him. "That was just what we needed.

 _"With the car alarms masking the sound, I can tap into the satellite radio systems and send a frequency signal to Hartley that's just enough to make him dilapidated. It will meet the frequency of and destroy his weapons."_

Brady watched in fascination as Hartley's screams turned more desperate once his gloves started to spark and short circuit before exploding in his hands. Then he screamed loudly, at the top of his lungs, and slapped his hands over his ears before pitching to the ground.

Barry took in a loud gasp and shakily got to his feet. Brady tucked his slingshot into his pocket and hurried over to Barry, grabbing onto his arm. "Are you okay?"

Brady then jerked his head back when Barry practically screamed, "I'm fine!" back into his face. Wiggling a finger in his ear, Barry used his other one to place his hand on Brady's shoulder and squeezed it. "Thanks to you."

Brady grinned.

* * *

"Now that we've got Hartley back into the Pipeline with no way out, there's plenty more we have on our hands," Caitlin remarked. "We've got Firestorm to work with, to see how that's going to pan out, and we have Cadence's and Brady's abilities to work through." She smiled over at the two as they smiled back. At least, Brady did, Cadence looked frustrated.

"So I managed to finally get through my plateau because of the explosion and yet I'm right back where I started." She held up her hand, creating a fireball over her hand to prove her point, them winced as it nearly immediately blew out of control. So much so that Barry raced across the room to grab a fire extinguisher, then moved back, blasting at her hand. "Woops."

"Well, it's not like we don't have the time for practice," Harrison remarked. "There's plenty for us to do where it won't get boring." He stretched his arms. "Now, I'm going to make sure that Ronnie and Professor Stein aren't waiting to start a revolt that we've kept them in our medical bay for so long. Why don't the rest of you go and get some rest. You've certainly deserved it."

He smiled to the group before heading out of the Cortex. He only made it around one hallway before he heard footsteps coming up behind him. Harrison slowly turned his chair around his eyebrows rose when he spotted Cadence walking his way, arms crossed over her chest.

"Yes, Cadence?" He watched her continue to walk towards him. "What may I help you with?"

"I just wanted to say…" Cadence looked towards her feet then looked up at him through her bangs. "Thanks, Dad."

Harrison immediately froze in his seat before turning to look at her. He had heard her say it when Hartley was going to attack him, but he hadn't been so sure at that point. Maybe it was wishful thinking as he thought he certainly was going to die in that moment. But now she was saying it directly to him.

Cadence kneeled down in front of him. "I heard what you said," she explained. "When I was out. That I'm a fighter." She smiled. "Even through these past few months you've been more like a Dad to me than my own father has been. And in your own way you've pushed me to be better than I have been because you believed I could do it. And you've tried to protect me the only way you knew how. That's what helped me get past my plateau. Not whatever I absorbed from Firestorm's blast. You." She gave a small smile. "And I wasn't going to let some psycho like Hartley call you his Dad, either."

Harrison smiled.

He reached up his hand and placed it on top of his daughter's, squeezing it hard enough for her to know he wasn't going to let go anytime soon.

* * *

"Mica Love, I presume," Breathtaker said. He extended his hand towards the well dressed African-American woman, who eyed him warily. Finally, Mica reached out her hand and shook Breathtaker's firmly before turning to Mindboggler, Stratos, and Incognito with nods, which they returned.

"I'm glad you could make it," Mica said in her low voice. "Amanda Waller said you might show up. The others are here, but I'll show you to the one who convinced me to take on this job. He said it would be the better way to make sure our presence in the government is taken seriously." With that, she turned on her heel and moved across the crowded casino, the Assassination Bureau following behind him. He reached a craps table and stretched out his hand, placing it on the shoulder of the silver-haired man standing at the table. "General Eiling, your cohorts are here to see you."

General Wade Eiling glanced at the group over his shoulder before slowly climbing down from his stool. He then turned and clasped his hands behind his back, studying the faces—or lack thereof in Breathtaker's case—of the Assassination Bureau. "Well," he said with a satisfied smile. "It's about time."

* * *

 **A/N:** So, what'd you think? I thought this was a great way to have Ronnie stick around and bring in drama with SnowWells and SnowStorm, as well as give Barry and Brady some time to figure out how to fight with each other with the absence of Cadence.

And I know I've ignored Cisco for a bit (and the point that Bette had come back in an earlier chapter) as well as not developing Cisco's and Cadence's friendship as much, but this chapter changes that to show more of it as well. Thank you for being patient.

For those waiting for even more BarryCade, there's more in the next chapter to make up for the lack of it in the last few chapters. Thanks!

PS – In case anyone was confused, when Barry found out that Hartley got out to when it jumped to Brady's POV in the next section was a bit of a overlap of time.

PPS - My sisters' and my crossover _Flashpoint_ is coming soon. So you'll want to check out _In a Flash_ (on this account), _The Mark of Sage_ (on Crystal Manning) and _Flash Fire_ (as well as this story) to get caught up on everything before it goes up.

 **-Riles**


	27. Moving Closer

**.:27:.**

* * *

Barry rested his chin in his hand, staring out the window of his office. Everything around him was moving so normally and yet, everything was so different for him and no one else knew. No one else could know except for Harrison and nobody else could or else the timeline would be disrupted.

All because he had traveled back in time.

If he had known things would go that way once he had met up with Mark Mardon he might've done things differently. But would it have been different if he hadn't gone back in time at all? It was hard to figure out, especially since he couldn't talk to anyone about it. He couldn't even talk to Harrison, who was the one that realized he had traveled through time in the first place. He had to be careful, as Harrison suggested, or anything anyone else remembered form the other timeline would cause ripple effects in the current timeline.

With a light groan, Barry closed his eyes, running his hands over his face. It was all so confusing.

To think it all started because Mark Mardon wanted to get revenge on the death of his brother. Barry and Joe thought the two men had passed away when their plane went down on the night of the Particle Accelerator explosion. _Wait._ Barry frowned. _That wasn't it._ It was believed the two had died the night of the explosion but that hadn't been what happened. Clyde and Mark had both survived and Clyde had gone on a rampage with his metahuman ability of controlling the weather, specifically targeting banks. But then he had died after Barry had really used his powers for the first time. He remembered that clearly.

It was Mark Mardon who was the problem now. Mark had come back to avenge his brother's death and because of that, he had taken Joe hostage, threatening his life because Joe was the one who had killed Clyde. Then when Barry had gone after him, Mark created a massive tidal wave that then threatened Central City, coming up from the coat faster than Barry thought he could outrun. Then Cadence and Brady had showed up to help him out. That was the more frustrating, more devastating part. As Barry raced around the outline of Central City so that his speed created a wind shield that would hold off the wave, Brady held onto his mother, using his ability to keep the both of them intangible, so that the gust of winds that Barry shot around would pass straight through them rather than knock them around.

Cadence then used her pyro-electrokinesis powers to send lightning bolts to Barry so that when they struck him the burst of heat would allow him to continue to run faster. Then he saw the wave crash over them and in Brady's fear he stopped his powers short and the two were washed away by the wave. But Barry continued to run as fast as he could, screaming with effort.

Earlier that day he and Cadence finally had the conversation they should have had the night they went to the bar with Caitlin and Roy. They finally had a date set up between the two of them that they were to go on that night, an official date. But he was forced to watch her and her son die in front of him as they were ripped apart from the waves.

That was the exact moment he had raced back in time to the day before. And he had to act like nothing had changed. But it had. Having gone back to relive the day before, he captured Mark Mardon before he could do anything and placed him down in the Pipeline. In his excitement over saving the city, Barry tried to set up the date with Cadence again…but made the mistake of doing so in front of Harrison. He then practically gave him a death glare for the rest of the night before demanding to know if it had been done in the other timeline. When he explained it had, Harrison pointed out that because he had jumped the gun and done it at a wrong time, it was little things like that that gave him an undesired response. In this case, Cadence hadn't responded to their date other than intense confusion while Harrison immediately went into a fatherly mode he didn't know existed.

But that hadn't been the worst part. There were two more events that he couldn't get off his mind. The first one was of the Rogues; Mick Rory, Leonard Snart, and now Lisa Snart; who, incidentally, had been the one who had broken Mick and Snart out of the car that had transferred them to jail after their last encounter with the Flash. This time, they captured Cisco and forced him to create another Heat Gun and Cold Gun for the two villains, as well as a gold gun for Lisa. Finally, Cisco—and his brother whom had also been kidnapped—was released as long as he revealed Barry's identity to Snart now signifying that Snart knew Barry's real identity while Mick knew Cadence's, making the identities of Team Flash that much more in danger. Within that agreement, Barry also had to say he wouldn't lock Snart in the Particle Accelerator as long as Snart didn't kill innocent people or go after his friends and family.

The second event he couldn't get out of his mind was how he Black Flash had followed him everywhere since he had run back through time. As a matter of fact, Barry was now expecting to see it pop up out of nowhere every time he took a step. He flew through the portal that took him back to the day before and as soon as he did so the Black Flash had practically tackled him down to the ground, frantically scrabbling at him. But Barry managed to land a solid series of punches to its face and chest and knocked it off of him.

The terrifying part was the feeling of dread he felt while he had pushed the Black Flash off him, how he felt as if everything in his life wasn't worth it and he as just seconds away from death. It was similar to the feeling he had when having seen his mother when Mindboggler had mind controlled him and when Nathan Bliss hypnotized him to see zombie version of his parents.

So much had changed that one of the first things he had done when things winded down was go to Iron Heights and see that his father was okay. His mother was still dead; the Reverse Flash had still killed her, so his father was still in jail. In a way he had been relieved to see his father sitting behind the partition glass unharmed.

"What's going on, Slugger?" He asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

Barry almost laughed out loud and explained everything with the Black Flash. It had to be a ghost. A ghost of is past, maybe, now that he had gone back in time. A constant ghost. A constant reminder everything is going wrong around him and he had no way of figuring out how to deal with it. Especially since the Black Flash hadn't done anything except scare him so far.

"There's been a lot going on," Barry explained. He took in a deep breath, pressing his phone against his ear harder. "A lot with the CCPD…a lot of cases with the Flash…" he explained. His eyes shifted for a moment before he looked at his father. Henry stared back at him with an expression Barry couldn't quite place. It was one of the more intense looks Barry had ever seen from his father, even more intense from the time he and a friend from school—who really had turned out to be a bully—got caught shoplifting from a local store.

It was just candy and pens and pencils, didn't count for more than five dollars, but it was enough for Henry to be very angry about it. He remembered his father was quiet for a long time, looking at him with that intense look, and then he punished Barry so badly that he never had the thought of stealing ever again. But now…this one was of suspicion and nearly utmost certainty about something.

"The Flash, huh?" Henry repeated. He cleared his throat. "I always knew you were destined for great things, Slugger, but I never thought you would be working with someone like The Flash."

"Yeah, well he's…he's…" Barry stumbled over his words. "He's helpful. To some of the cases when we have to deal with the metas."

"Metas?"

"Metahumans." Barry paused, wondering if he gave too much away "That's…that's what Caitlin and Cisco and Dr. Wells call them at STAR Labs. I've told you how I go to them to get some help on cases sometimes, right?"

"Right, like the thing that broke into Iron Heights," Henry agreed.

Barry nodded. That was another thing that had happened, something he nearly forgot about. There was a teleporting metahuman that had broken into Iron Heights to take out her boyfriend. Within the scuffle Henry, who was trying to help Barry and Joe and the CCPD figure everything out, had been beaten up and stabbed. And Barry knew it was his fault. If he had tried harder, ran faster, did something…it wouldn't have happened. And as The Flash he did his best but…maybe he didn't do enough.

"This Flash is a really interesting character," Henry continued.

"He's doing a lot of great things for the city," Barry added. He tried his best not to give anything away in his face, the way he spoke, or his body language. He forced himself to look his father in the eye and tightened his grip on the phone. "He's saved a lot of people." He tried not to croak but his voice always did that, went raspy, when he was emotional. Tears started to prick at his eyes and he screamed at himself not to cry. But it was hard. It was hard to know he was doing so much for his father and his mother's legacy…and he couldn't tell him that. All because he was The Flash and he couldn't afford to put him in any danger.

"He has," Henry agreed. Then he swallowed hard and tilted his head to the side. "Did you see the newspaper? The Central City Picture News? They've got articles of the Flash going on."

"Yeah, I know." Barry smiled with pride. "Iris got a job there; she's been writing some of them."

"Really?" Henry's eyes crinkled at eth corners and he laughed in excitement. " _Really?_ Well, that's great. You'll have to congratulate her for me." He gave his son a knowing smile. "Maybe even give her a kiss for me."

Barry felt himself blush. Which was silly in a way. He didn't really feel that way about Iris anymore, but it was still embarrassing to be teased about. "I don't…no that's not…that's not happening. She's happy with Iris and I'm happy…I guess."

"You guess?" Henry sounded interested.

"You know my friend Cadence I was telling you about?" Barry asked.

"The one with the son," Henry agreed.

Barry nodded. He had gotten Cadence's permission to speak about it first and she had been very open with it, especially since many others knew. But he wanted to make sure first, he didn't want to mess anything up. "Yeah…we've grown really close and…and I think things are going to move forward there." Barry felt himself flush again when Henry grinned. How did parents always make things so embarrassing just by the movements of their facial muscles?

"But the real question is, does she—"

"Yes, she knows you're in jail."

" _And_ she knows I'm in jail? That's good, Barry. Nothing good comes from a relationship based on a lie." Barry cringed, knowing that's what Cisco and Caitlin, Caitlin especially, have warned him about wanting t have been in a relationship with Iris, especially when he went to meet her as The Flash. Before he messed that up. Why was it everyone seemed to give him the best advice and he didn't hear it until much later?

"So I've been told," Barry said.

"I'd like to meet your friends the next time you get the chance," Henry commented, confusing Barr for a minute. "I'd like to know how your life is really going, who you're surrounding yourself with. It can't be that safe if you're hanging out with the Flash."

 _Ha._ Barry tried not to smile. "Well, I'm not hanging out with him more than I've been running into him lately."

Henry smiled and nodded. Then he made a show of running his hand along the counter that sat in front of him then rested his elbows on it. He leaned forward and kept his eyes on his son's, unwilling to let him look away. "I saw him once, in here. When the whole thing with the riot went on. He helped out, you know. Because I was roughed up by someone in here and then the next thing I know he's caught outside the walls saying he was taken out by the Flash."

"That's a weird…" Barry tried to find the right word. "Coincidence."

"Coincidence. Right."

And then Barry figured it out.

Henry, his father, knew he was The Flash.

He hadn't come right out and said it, but he knew.

Barry had to at least try to throw him off. He gave a disarming smile and tried not to croak once more, "Don't you think if I were the Flash you'd be the first to know?"

"Not unless you were trying to keep me safe," Henry reasoned. "But if you _were_ the Flash I'd tell you that the world is dangerous and you need to be careful. And I'd tell you that you're a hero and you're saving a lot of lives. But the most important thing you'd need to know is that I have been and always will be proud of you."

And Barry had to leave then. He couldn't continue to sit there and listen to everything he had ever wanted to hear from his father and not reveal the truth. It was too hard. Now three weeks later—three weeks filled with some of the most intense and emotional metahuman issues they'd ever have—he was sitting his office trying to wrap his head around things.

If he could've gone back in time on accident, even just one day back. Maybe he would be able to go back to when the night his Mom died and save her from being killed. His father would be out of jail, his mother would be alive, he could have the life he wanted…but there was the chance things could go wrong. Would he still know his friends if he changed it? Would he be with Iris? How would everyone's lives panned out.

Was he willing to risk all of that just to be able to save his mother? Now he knew how Caitlin felt; having to potentially sacrifice her fiancé for the second time. Was he willing to sacrifice his mother for the life he had now or was he willing to sacrifice the life he had now for his mother?

As far as he was concerned, the Rogues, the Reverse Flash, and the Black Flash were waiting to for the chance to make that decision for him.

Turning away from the window, Barry shifted his attention back to the massive poster that sat beside him. The poster of the city. He shuffled the chair forward and grabbed the handle at the bottom, lifting it up to reveal the evidence of his mother's case below. He stared at it for a few moments then hid it once more.

He needed to stop torturing himself.

* * *

"And you were dismissed from your residency program because of tardiness—"

"I promise that I'll be here on time," Cadence interrupted Joe before he could flat out tell her 'no'. She gripped the folder that held her resume and references tightly, hoping she wouldn't accidentally set them on fire as she sat in front of him.

Ever since she had woken up from her short lived coma her control over her powers had continued to deteriorate. There were some things that worked as well as they had ever been, but when it came to her emotions surrounding her powers, that wasn't working as well as it used to. And there were some of her other abilities. She had accidentally managed to burn people sitting beside her on the bus or walking too close. To the point that she became aware of it when having to shake someone's hand or even hug Brady. A semi-job interview was the worst place for that to completely go haywire.

Not when so much was at stake.

If she got this job then she could get CPS off her back once and for all. And even if she didn't get the job, maybe Joe could see she was trying to do the right thing and dismiss the investigation? Especially since he was the one that had called it in and while she understood it would've been suspicious if the CCPD didn't follow up on it, she wished she could've gotten some warning before they came in. She would do anything to make sure Brady wasn't taken away from her.

Cadence sat up straight, placing her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking. "I'm usually very good at that. It's just…with residency the issue was that I had to leave early for reasons you're well versed in," She commented, lowering her voice. Joe nodded in agreement. "But the way I see it, this could really help; I already have a background in medicine, I'd have my own office so it's be easier to go in and out, it'd be easier for metahuman stuff and—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Joe held up his hands, trying to get Cadence to slow down. But she was too far into her spiel.

"And the position has been open for a while, no one's taken the job yet and by this point it's probably a good idea to fill it as soon as possible." She took a breath. "Now, I'm done."

Joe smiled; his goatee stretching as he did so. Then he started to laugh. Finally, he brought his hands up and ran them over his face. "I can see that you're not going to be easily swayed by this position. Honestly, I think it makes sense. But in the end, I don't have the final decision. I can put a god word in with Captain Singh but you never know how he'll react with it," he said. "As long as I've known the man you can never tell if he's in a good mood or not. But you've made some good points, especially with the metahuman things going on. Your qualifications and references are great as well." He tapped his hand on the desk. "Let me speak to Captain Singh and see what he has to say."

Cadence nodded and waited as Joe left his desk. She looked around at the hustle and bustle that went along the CCPD and held her breath. Then she released it slowly. Okay, so her nerves got to her and she went into what she called 'cheerleader mode' where she got overly…excited and talked a lot. She tapped her hands against her lap only looking up when she heard her name called.

"Hey Eddie," She greeted him as he walked over to the desk at a fast paced stride.

Eddie paused for a moment, his eye shifting around for a moment, almost looking like a deer in headlights, then relaxed. "Hey Cadence, how's it going?" He asked. "What brings you here to the CCPD is there anything I can help you with?"

"I'm here in a meeting with Joe," Cadence explained. "Just talking with him about some stuff. What's up? You looked like you had something you were looking for something."

"Yeah, I was looking for Joe," Eddie said. "But if he's in a meeting it can wait." He sat down at his desk and turned towards Cadence. "How are things going with you, really? I know that having CPS called on you couldn't be easy."

Cadence's eyes bore into Eddie's as she tried to figure out what it was he really wanted. She could sense his body temperature, it was fluctuating rapidly. He was nervous about something and didn't walk to talk about CPS at all. "Definitely not," She agreed. "But I'm working on it. It's sort of why I'm here." She waited for Eddie to say something else but he just nodded and turned away.

 _Okay, so he doesn't want to talk about that. So what is it?_ The two of them had never had a long conversation other than the drive from Central to Starling City a few months ago. And they had slightly bickered the whole way up as they argued over who was the one that was going to navigate them the quickest way to Starling City. And there was also the fact that he had earlier implied he had looked into her past a little and knew about her issues in Smallville. _And_ he had his memory erased by Breathtaker after helping Joe and Iris defend the streets of Central City that could come back at any time.

"What's wrong?" She asked him. "I'm getting the feeling there's something else you wanted to talk about."

"Yeah, there is," Eddie said slowly. "But I'm not quite sure how to bring it up." He licked his lips and leaned forward. "Iris and I only just moved together," he reminded her and Cadence nodded. "Which is serious. And I'm thinking long-term for our relationship...like marriage."

"Yeah," Cadence prompted.

"So I've been thinking about a lot of different things. Where we would move after getting married, if we would stay in my apartment. Who we'd invite, how big it would be. How I'd propose…but there's also the topic of kids…that we haven't really spoken about."

"Uh…huh…"

"So, if it's not too forward of a question, I was wondering if there was any insight you would like to give in that area," he said. "I mean, because you have one."

Cadence laughed at the blunt way he broached the topic. As a matter of fact she preferred people to be blunt with it rather than pretending that it wasn't there and awkwardly try and tip-toe their way around it. Though she did also find it amusing how someone would and wouldn't exactly ask her about it. "Well, honestly, the first thing you should do is make sure that Iris wants kids, too. But the big thing you need to figure out is whether or not you can afford for one of you to put your career aside to do it. Not that I'm saying you're going to be having kids within the next year but…"

Eddie nodded but didn't reply.

"And, I'm sorry, but why are you asking me this rather than Iris or…"

"Or Joe or Barry?" Eddie broke in. "Because Iris and I have never had this conversation and…well…I think Joe or Barry would actually kill me so…" Cadence smiled. "I guess I wanted a neutral party to be able to work these things through."

"I wouldn't say I'm neutral considering it looks like I'm the only one you know who actually does have a kid."

"Yeah…how'd you do that anyway?"

"Well, if you want me to draw you a diagram." Cadence laughed again when Eddie immediately back tracked his question. "Honestly, I don't know. I just take it a day at a time and hope that I'm doing the right thing. It's not like you get a manual about how to do it. As a matter of fact I wouldn't be surprised if I go back down to the lobby and find him climbing on top of that massive gold plaque at the front of the precinct."

"When I came up he was talking to another officer," Eddie explained.

"Mm, that can be just as dangerous."

And yet, Cadence was still suspicious as to why he wanted to talk to her. Her suspicions of people she never really gotten a chance to know would always do that other than the fact she made friends so easily. There was nothing completely alarming about Eddie but there was something she couldn't quite put her finger on that was weird. She didn't have any emotional ties to him like Iris and Barry so she couldn't dislike him the way Barry had, they seemed to be friends now. But she couldn't shake it.

Thankfully, her suspicions were put on hold as Joe walked back into the room. He looked at Eddie and smiled. "Ah, Eddie, why don't you meet your new co-worker?"

It took Cadence a second before she leapt up out of her seat, clasping her hands together. "I got the job?" She asked.

"Captain Singh must've been in a good mood because he agreed with all of the points you made," Joe explained then gave her a pointed look. Right. All of the points that didn't have to do with metahumans. But who cared, she got the job and was now the Medical Examiner of the Central City Police Department. "Welcome to the CPPD." He held out his hand towards her and Cadence shook it firmly as Eddie said, "Congratulations."

"Thank you so much, Detective West," Cadence said. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me…just thanks." She turned to Eddie and grinned at him. "I guess I'll see you later." She picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, waved to the two and started to leave the room. She paused at the doorway, realizing she hadn't asked when she was going to start and turned back to the two. She watched as Eddie picked up his discarded folder and opened it, holding it out to Joe. Joe looked around before taking the folder and from her angle, Cadence caught a glimpse of what looked like a photo of Harrison.

She turned away, her excitement immediately taking over her concern and hurried down to the lobby of the CCPD where she found Brady looking over an officer's walkie-talkie. "Hey," Cadence greeted them. Brady looked up an abandoned the walkie-talkie, hurrying over to her.

As soon as he reached her, he was a machine gun of questions. "What happened? How'd it go? Did you get the job? When do you start? Do you get your own office? Do you get your own gun?"

Cadence laughed and waited for him to run out of breath. It was hard to think that a few days before, when she finally told him about their money issues and how she had been kicked out of residency. She gathered Brady into her room and motioned for him to sit on the floor beside her. He looked up at her earnestly and she took a deep breath before explaining.

"Okay, so...I usually tell you everything that's going on with me or am honest about things that may or may not change with the way we live," Cadence said. Brady nodded and continued to watch her. "And you know that we've been having some problems with money over the past couple of years and that I had been getting most of it from my residency." She took a deep breath. "I got fired, bud."

Brady's eyes widened for a moment and then he tilted his head to the side. "Fired?" He repeated. "Why?"

"Because I was working so much with STAR Labs and the Flash and being Flash Fire that I couldn't keep up. And my professor knew that I was having problems because I was coming in late or leaving early and it just started to get too much." She felt her eyes started to well up and she quickly wiped them away. "So my professor fired me."

"Oh." Brady then reached out and brushed her tears away. "Don't cry, Mom. You're doing a good thing to help the city."

"I know, but how can I help the city if I can't help you?" Cadence pointed out, still crying. "We've been in Central City for just about as long as you've been alive and we only _just_ got an apartment big enough so you could have your own space. And, you know how we've had Child Protective Services coming around a lot." Brady nodded. "That's an issue, too."

"I have money saved up," Brady insisted. "You can have that."

"No, that's your money. You keep that for something you really want."

"But I really want to help you." Brady sat up on his knees and wrapped his arms around Cadence's neck. "Don't cry, Mom." Cadence smiled and sniffed loudly, wrapping her arms around Brady as well. And the two continued to sit there for a long time until Cadence suggested that he go get some homework done. And it was then she decided that she wasn't going to sit around and allow herself to let life run its course for her. She was going to make a decision for herself and that was how she got the idea of working for the CCPD.

And instead of talking herself out of it she went right for it and now things seemed to be working even better.

"It went great, I got the job. I don't know when I'm going to start and I do get my own office, but I don't get a gun." Cadence answered his questions as quickly as they came, giving him a double high-five and hugging him. Then she tilted his head back so she could look down at him. "Only city police gets guns."

Brady's face twisted up into displeasure, "That's lame."

"I know," Cadence agreed.

"They could've given you _some_ sort of a weapon to defend yourself when you're on the streets and everything," Brady continued almost as if he hadn't heard her. "Maybe even a hand grenade if you could, that'd help with your powers and everything."

Cadence looked at him for a moment before remarking, "I should've had a girl."

Brady turned and gave her a look, making her laugh, before his attention moved behind her and his entire face lit up. "Barry! Barry! Mom got a job with the CCPD!" Cadence turned around and waved when she spotted Barry coming down the staircase. He looked distracted for a minute before his name was called then he smiled.

"Sorry, did I hear you say you got a job here?" He asked.

"Yeah, I was just hired as the Medical Examiner," Cadence said.

Barry's eyes then lit up ad he opened his arms wide. "Congratulations." The two hugged and Cadence closed her eyes, resting her chin on his shoulder as she squeezed him. It lasted a few seconds longer than it should have before they pulled away again. "That's great." Then he looked confused. "I didn't know you were applying."

"Well…I sort of didn't have a choice," Cadence admitted. "Considering I got fired from my residency."

"You got…why didn't you tell me?"

"I was embarrassed."

The admission this time around wasn't so hard. She said it to herself since she had been fired to remind herself it was real. But then again it didn't' really. She had enough going on that she could pretend it hadn't happened but knowing the steady source of income wasn't coming in…and how was she supposed to say it to Barry, Cisco, Caitlin, and Harrison. They were all extremely smart and successful in their fields, in their careers—ignoring that pesky explosion—and she was the one that couldn't do it.

"Because of the whole bar thing?" Barry asked.

Cadence held her breath, lightly placing her hands on her hips. "Actually, I was talking about being embarrassed in general, but we need to talk about that, too…" she trailed off, looking to the side. Barry followed her gaze and the two looked at Brady.

He looked back at them and blinked. "Oh. Um. Barry, is there anything to eat around here?"

"There's a break room just over there," Barry pointed. "Just tell them that you're here with me and it shouldn't be a problem." He waited until Brady was out of earshot before bringing his attention to the fire metahuman that stood in front of him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up in front of him."

"That's alright," Cadence replied. "He's going to find out anyway." She twisted her fingers together. "But I do need to be honest with you about something, Tholly. About why I invited Roy to come with us without saying anything. When you asked if I wanted to go out that night the way you mentioned it I thought you were just asking _me_ out. Then Caitlin called and said that you had asked her so…I've said it before I haven't been on a date in a long time so I immediately assumed that you asked her out and then asked me to go along so I didn't feel left out. Instead of talking about it I went ahead and called Roy to come with. But there was something I never told you or the others, really.

"When I went to visit my parents in Metropolis, I wasn't in Metropolis the entire time. I was in Starling City for some time, trying to figure out some things about Harrison and Roy and I hung out a lot." She looked at Barry and waited for his response, glad when he seemed to figure it out. _Thank God he's smart or else I probably would've had to explain that about eight times before he finally got it._

"Oh," he said. "Okay."

"And I knew you were kind of jealous of him."

Barry let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm not jealous of Roy, I'm—"he paused, running a hand through his hair. "Okay, if we're being honest. I'm not jealous of Roy, I'm envious of him. He's athletic and took to being a superhero a lot faster than I ever did. He's like those guys in high school on the football team that everything seemed to work out for while I was the one that was constantly known as 'The son of the doctor who murdered his wife'". He shook his head, pain flashing through his eyes as he allowed himself to think about his past.

"Yeah, but you're not Roy, Barry. _And_ you're not Oliver, you're you. Up until I got here you were doing everything on your own and you're doing a great job," Cadence insisted. "I wish you could see that. Everyone else can."

Barry smiled at her and Cadence smiled back. All of a sudden she felt her body temperature increase, and her heart start to race. That was strange. It had only happened when she was first getting used to her powers, getting used to the way she felt when becoming aware of everyone else's body heat. She shifted her eyes up to Barry's and bit her lower lip, waiting for him to ask the question that was on the tip of his tongue.

"Hey, uh, have you talked to Caitlin at all…since what happened happened?" Barry shifted his eyes away and crossed his arms.

Cadence tried her hardest not to let her jaw drop. That wasn't quite the question she had expected, or _wanted_ him to ask now that they had cleared up everything from that strange night. Instead she thought about the tensions that had surrounded them when Ronnie's and Professor Stein's lives were at stake. "Oh, you mean since she called me nothing more than a killer and that I'll amount to nothing else."

"She didn't say that."

"Well, Caitlin never actually has to _say_ anything; she's really good at implying things by the way she looks at you. Not to mention that she did say, and I'm quoting exactly here, 'You've already killed more people than the rest of us could ever imagine. What's two more?'" Cadence shrugged. "So excuse me if I don't feel that t freaking welcome wagon should come from my side of the fence!"

"So you don't want to—"

"Why should I, Barry?"

"She was hurt."

"So was I. And anyway it's not like its any great loss. I've had people leave me already; my parents, Ryder…what's one more?" She cleared her throat. "Anyway, I thought you wanted to ask me something else," she prompted.

"Something else?" Barry repeated.

So Cadence tried another tactic. "Well, I wasn't exactly sure but I thought there might be a rule against co-workers dating or something." Then he got the hint.

Barry thought for a moment. Then he started to pace a few steps towards her, babbling as he did so, "No. Nope. No. I mean, it's frowned upon. I think. I'm not really e-entirely sure. But I don't think it'd be an issue. Why was there someone you were interested in around here? Not that there's a problem if there is. But, I was kind of hoping, I mean—"

Cadence held up her folder and slapped it against Barry's mouth, cutting him off. "That was kind of a hint for you to ask me out, Tholly. I mean, _really_ ask me out this time. But if I have to do it for you, I don't really have a problem with that either."

"Oh." Barry nodded. "Oh! Okay, well, I was thinking maybe we could go out to an early dinner and then after that we can see where the night goes." Then his eyes immediately widened when he realized the double-entendre from what he had said. "I…I didn't mean it like that. Like, I didn't mean to imply that the night was going to go _that_ way…I mean, it's not like you're not experienced in that area, you have Brady. Not that I _think_ about it, I mean—"He was cut off once more as Cadence placed her hand over his mouth.

She smiled warmly at him, showing that his babbling and accidental insults hadn't messed anything up. "I'd love to go out with you, Barry."

* * *

Iris went straight to her desk once she arrived at the Central City Pictures News. She wanted to avoid Mason as much as possible, not just because he had been a jerk to her on her first day, but because he was her pseudo-babysitter as long as they were indicated. She was to follow him around make sure they were getting the right stories for the citizens of Central City to read.

And she wanted to get her notes together before Tess arrived. It hadn't been hard to convince the woman to meet her at the news office rather than Jitters that day, Tess had even suggested shortly after the announcement of her news to stop by. It was a little weird, she barely knew the woman but already felt some sort of a connection with her. And a little bit of guilt. Barry and her father had both suggested that she not do the article on her but where was the harm in it? She just wanted to get an idea of what it was like to work with Harrison Wells and to get her ideas of the metahumans in the city and what happened with the Particle Accelerator explosion.

She also knew they were keeping something from her. Barry and Joe had to work with STAR Labs with some of their cases and while CCPD business, most of the time, was confidential there was always something she was told. Even when she was young her Dad had given her and Barry nightmares from some of the stories he told to warn them about the real world and how not everyone was so forgiving and nice. But to be shut out now? That really hurt.

There was probably a reason for it, but it still hurt.

"Iris, hey." Tess grinned as she walked up to the desk with a small potted plant in her hands. "Wow, you've got a desk and everything. I figured this could spruce things up a little bit; trust me when I say I know how drab these office settings can be."

"Thanks." Iris took the plant and examined it closely, noticing they were small flower buds that were just about to bloom. She turned and them on the corner of her desk and turned back to Tess, holding out her and. When Tess grabbed it she reached out her other hand and placed it on top of Tess's. "I'm so glad you decided to come."

"After seeing how excited you were about getting the job in the first place, I couldn't stay away," Tess pointed out. She looked around. "Looks like an exciting place to work, too."

"I hope so," Iris agreed. "Actually, I have an idea for an article and it kind of has to do with you."

Tess removed her hand from Iris's. "Oh really?" She asked.

"Yes, and it's sort of a way to welcome you back to Central City." Iris continued to gush about her idea, forgoing her original plan of being as casual as possible with the idea. "You have such an amazing story and worked with some of the best minds out there and I would love to interview you; to get the story on what it was like when you were working, how your career went, your future for your career, what it was like to work with Harrison Wells, the Particle Accelerator explosion…"

"No, I don't…I don't think that's a good idea." Tess took a step back, eyes widening. "I haven't spoken about that part of my life in a long time. I don't even…I _just_ started to know about the metahumans and everything, I don't know how I could help."

"I just want your opinions on—"

"—And, Harrison Wells and I aren't in communication," Tess continued. "And we haven't been. Not for a long time. I…I'm sorry. But I have to go." She grasped Iris's hand once more. "I can't wait to see your first article, Iris. But please, don't ask me again." With that, she turned and left Central City Picture News as quickly as she came.

Iris sighed, crossing her arms. "Way to go," she mumbled to herself.

"Looks like you're having some issues getting a subject to talk." Iris looked up to find a woman about her age, if not a little bit older, standing above her. "Let me tell you, in journalism that's not going to start happening and you have to learn how to take the bull by the horns." She then stuck her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and smiled mischievously. "Unfortunately some men seem to take that to the extreme."

Iris stared at the woman before she smiled as well. "You're Lois Lane," she greeted her. "You're a reporter for the _Daily Planet_."

"Indeed I am," Lois agreed. "Though I have to admit…it's kind of weird to know that my reputation has taken me all the way to Central City."

"You're a legendary reporter," Iris reminded her. "You've written about some of the greatest things going on in Metropolis. And, I'm sure you're not slow on news considering how much Superman is doing to help things over there." Iris turned her gaze to her desk, pretending to clear it when it was already clear. "I bet you haven't been stuck writing stories only about him."

"I get it," Lois declared. "It's the freshman slump, sort of a rite of passage. As soon as you're known for something and get hired to a newspaper you only get jobs that have to deal with what you're known for. What is it here?"

"The Flash."

"Well, it looks like Central City has its own superhero." Lois thought for a moment then placed her hand on Iris's shoulder, turning her around. "The worst thing you can do is let this beat you down. You can keep doing the Flash articles but you need to prove you can do something more than that, so when you get the opportunity you're ready to take it."

A smile graced Iris's lips. "That's what my best friend Barry, said." Then she frowned. "Right before he figured out what I wanted to talk about you. You know that woman that just left, Tess? She's who I wanted to make an article on. She has a really interesting past in the science field and was close with Harrison Wells. But then she got into a car accident and was sent to Coast City for physical therapy and just came back to Central City. I thought it'd be a great way to welcome her back and to profile her achievements."

"But she gave you the cold shoulder and flew out of her like a bat out of hell," Lois interrupted. "Which means she _may_ have something to hide just which is an even more interesting story. You know what? I'm going to help you get this story."

"Really? You are?" Iris's face illuminated almost immediately.

"I am," Lois agreed. "Because I see a great reporter in you, Iris. You've got the instinct. And it's going to take you far."

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, things are really going to blow up with the next chapter.

So I had to make the very hard decision to skip by the episodes Out of Time and Rogue Time; there were many portions of those episodes that I really loved and would've liked to see within the story…but that was when it was my original idea when Flash Fire was going to encompass the entire season. With what I'm doing now it wouldn't make sense to entirely show it.

That being said if it isn't clear, Barry _did_ travel back in time in a fight against Mark Mardon and Snart knows Barry's (and in extension Cadence's) true identity while they've met Lisa Snart. However Caitlin's and Cisco's points of those episodes haven't happened yet as you can see.

So I asked the question on Twitter and Tumblr if I show Cade's negative traits well: I do show them, but I haven't really shown the consequences of those negative traits yet so there's a part of it that comes up in this chapter. Though, to be honest, I'm surprised there's one negative trait she had (Which is glaringly obvious) that no one seems to have picked up on though DawnMay has alluded to it.

Thank you for being so patient with this chapter being late. I've been really busy this past week. More with SnowWells, SnowStorm, Eiling, and AB in the next chapter And, woohoo official BarryCade date coming soon!

So, having mentioned AB briefly, do you think Cade will tell Barry and the others what's going on or do you think she'll keep it a secret again?

 **-Riles**


	28. When It All Falls Apart

**.:28.**

* * *

"I think you broke the record," Cisco said as the doors to the Cortex opened and Barry and Cadence came inside, bright smiles on their faces. "Twenty incidents taken down in a single patrol; carjackings, robberies, you name it, you've done it."

"And of course we couldn't have done it without your help," Barry said with a grin, giving Cisco a high-five. He crossed his arms and turned to Cadence. "And you owe me twenty bucks when you said that I couldn't stop the two jacking happening on two different sides of the city _at the same time_."

"You can move fast, but I never thought you could move _that_ fast," Cadence defended herself, pulling off her goggles and resting them around her neck. "And you don't deserve the twenty bucks because you wouldn't have stopped the second one if it weren't for the fact that I hadn't disoriented them when I did with my smokescreen."

"Either way you better get used to the infamy this is going to bring you," Cisco continued. "You've been doing a lot to help Central City." His nose wrinkled as he turned from his computer. "I mean, the rest of us have been helping you as well and do we get the recognition?" Barry and Cadence exchanged amused glances as Cisco continued. "Yes there's always going to be a team behind the man and I'm not saying I want _my_ life splashed out on the front page every day but some recognition would be nice."

"I know exactly how you feel, Cisco," Cadence agreed. She pulled out a chair beside him and plopped down, crossing her legs at the knee. "There's always a big spread about how The Flash did this and that and is there a mention of me anywhere? No. And you want to know why?" Cadence didn't give Barry or Cisco a chance to respond before continuing. "Because in this patriarchal and misogynistic society it's always the man that gets the attention even if the woman does something just as good as he does."

She paused. "Or maybe it's because my metahuman name is too similar to Barry's. But what do I know?"

"Fine!" Cisco threw his hands into the air. This was definitely past getting on his nerves now. He went through all of the work to make her a suit and make sure things were going well when she was out on the battlefield and what does he get in return? Her insistence to change her metahuman name. Well, that was just fine. He was the only one that was able to get final word on it as it was and no one could name metahumans better than he could. "What name would you want instead?"

Cadence shrugged and thought for a second. "Maybe…Flare?"

Cisco opened his mouth to protest then closed it once more. "You know…that's actually not bad." At Cadence excited grin, complete with clasping her hands together in her lap, Cisco shook a warning finger in her face. "I said I liked it, I didn't say that we would change it to that. Give me some time to get used to it."

"You mean give you some time to get over your ego being bruised," Barry remarked.

"Hey, your job is to save the city, my name is to deal with the gadgets and the metahuman names," Cisco defended himself. "You don't see me putting on your suit late at night and masqueraded as you, do you?"

"No, thank God. I think that might be a scary sight."

"It'd be scarier if it were my suit," Cadence reminded him, laughing at the look of unease the flashed over both Cisco's and Barry's faces. "But you're right Cisco; you, Caitlin and Dad do a great job of watching us on the field and making sure that nothing too bad happens." She then swiveled her head to the side and pointed over to Barry. "And don't forget I've saved your butt many times."

"I remember," Barry reassured her. He placed his hand on her shoulder. "Seriously, Cade, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Get a room, maybe?" Cisco suggested, eyes flicking back and forth between the two of them. "Or continuously have your butt kicked I mean…" he smiled, trailing off as Barry rolled his eye and ruffled Cisco's hair and Cadence swatted at his knee.

"And on that uplifting note, I've gotta go," Cadence said, standing up from the chair.

"Already?" Barry asked. He clasped his hands together and rubbed them eagerly. "I'm ready to head out and see what else we can do."

"Yeah, well, unlike you, Barry I have a job to get back to," Cadence remarked, removing her goggles from around her neck. She tossed a flirtatious smile his way. "We can't all take as many personal days as we can manage, right? I'll see you guys later."

She teleported into the room that held their suits, changed back to her street clothes, and started to walk out of the cortex just as Caitlin was walking in. The two paused as they looked at each other, Cadence muttering a quiet 'hi' which Caitlin returned before she walked to her desk and sat down, engrossed with whatever was on the tablet in her hands.

"Hey Caitlin," Barry greeted her. "Where've you been?"

"Where else?" Cisco broke in before Caitlin could response. "She was with Ronnie, again. You know _those two_ need to get a room. I keep forgetting how awkward it is to walk in on them when they're making googley-eyes at each other. I've got to say I haven't missed that in the slightest." He bit off the end of a Twizzler as if to emphasize his point.

Caitlin shot him a look and he held up his hands, pushing his chair away from her as far as he could go. Barry, who chuckled at Cisco's statement, immediately cut himself off as Caitlin shot him the look. Eyebrows furrowing together he walked over to Caitlin and leaned against the desk next to her, looking down at her face.

"Is everything okay, Caitlin?" He asked her. "You're doing that thing where you chew your bottom lip when you're worried."

"That's only one of the things she's does," Cisco pointed out. "As a matter of fact her chewing her lip is like defcon 3, once she starts to pace is when you should be _really_ worried." Expecting to Caitlin to laugh or at least smile, Cisco then realized how serious it was when Caitlin didn't respond to his jokes. "Hey, what's going on?'

"Yeah, you're haven't been acting like yourself. Not since we got Ronnie back, I mean," Barry agreed.

Cisco had an idea of what was bothering Caitlin but had no way of asking her for sure. Not with Barry around. Since figuring out about hers and Harrison's relationship—which she still didn't call a relationship—he noticed the way they acted around each other; the little looks they would give when they thought no one else was looking and how they were so much like a team. If he thought about it honestly, they had always been that way, since she had first arrived at STAR Labs; she was like his right hand man in a lot of different ways, especially with their train of thought. And now that Ronnie was back...it was like she had to start all over again, but with two different relationships. One with a man she had been hopelessly in love with and another with someone she was just starting to love.

It was like watching a soap opera play out in front of him but he couldn't enjoy it because it was one of his best friends who was having so much trouble with it. Cisco reached out to place his hand on Caitlin's shoulder but the second he touched her he was suddenly somewhere else. There was a blue hue around him and everything seemed to move in slow motion and in real time at the exact same time.

He watched as Harrison followed the long winding hallways of STAR Labs, coming to a sudden stop by a blank wall. The scientist reached out and pressed his palm against a wall and the door slid open to reveal nothing but darkness inside; of which swallowed Harrison as he wheeled inside, the door sliding back into place.

As the door slid back, the sound of metal clinking against metal snapped Cisco back to attention. His hand landed on Caitlin's shoulder and she sighed heavily, dropping the tablet onto the desk in front of her. Cisco looked around the room, his breath starting to grow shallow as he tried to come to terms with what he had just scene, only breaking out of his thoughts when Caitlin started to speak.

"It's just hard," She finally admitted. "How I can come and go as I please and Ronnie and Professor Stein are stuck in here. They can't go anywhere, they can't go back home because they're known to have disappeared, to be dead. Ronnie had a _funeral_ and now here he is in my life again and that's hard as it is. But what about his family? His Mom and Dad left Central City after his death. I can't just call them up and say that their son is suddenly alive again and that we were wrong this whole time. And what about Professor Stein's wife…what if she starts to ask about him being at STAR Labs and how we came to know who he was?"

Barry shrugged. "Then, maybe, we'd have to tell her who I am."

Cisco's eyes widened. "Have you been in too many fights or are you and Cade both starting to forget that the point of the mask and goggles is that a _secret identity is supposed to be a secret?_ Your track record so far has been abysmal with this whole thing."

"I'm just saying that we know everything that has been going on here and it's not fair to have Clarissa Stein in the dark. If you were in her shoes, Caitlin, you'd want to know what was going on with Ronnie if he were still alive. If this were my Mom…." Barry swallowed hard. "Honestly, I don't know how I'd be able to keep the secret for so long.

Caitlin twisted in her seat and looked up at him, face softening. "And what about your Dad?" She asked in a low whisper.

Cisco watched as Barry's head jerked back in surprise at the question. Then he briefly closed his eyes before shaking his head. "I think he already knows," he said honestly. "Just something about the way we were talking the last time I saw him…I'm sure he knows."

"But you haven't told him?"

"No. I haven't told him."

"Why not?" Cisco and Caitlin asked at the same time.

"Because I don't know how he'd react. I don't know if any one of my enemies will figure it out. Like, Snart and Mick know exactly who I am. They can look through my past and know who my Dad is, they've been to Iron Heights so many times that they could find a way to get back in and take him hostage if they wanted. I can't have that happen, so…I can't tell him. Just like I can't tell Iris or Eddie…I need to keep them safe."

"I guess you're right," Cisco agreed. "If my family knew that I was helping the Flash…" he grimaced, realizing how at least his brother knew because he had to tell so that Dante wouldn't get killed. "I mean, if the _rest_ of my family knew I was helping the Flash and Flare—"

"—Flare?" Caitlin repeated.

"Long story short, Cadence's metahuman name is being changed to Flare," Barry explained.

"Oh. Okay."

Cisco watched as Caitlin nodded, her shoulders slumping a little. Once upon a time she would've been in the loop on that sort of thing but things had been steadily changing for Team Flash. Caitlin was starting to pull in on herself as she and Cadence were in the awkward stage of not knowing how to get over bad words that were exchanged in the heat of deciding what to do with Firestorm. And on the other side Cadence, Cisco, and Barry were working better together. He understood why but it wasn't the Team Flash he wanted them all to be.

"Am I interrupting an important discussion?" The three turned around as Professor Stein walked into the room, dressed in a STAR Labs sweatshirt. The man appeared impatient, his eyes darting back and forth across their faces as he pressed his lips together. Ronnie walked along behind him, much more relaxed than the older man was. "Because I was wondering when it was that we could go home? Or even just some time for Ronald and I to be outdoors."

"It's Ronnie, please," Ronnie quickly corrected him, causing Caitlin to smile a little.

"Professor, for your safety we have to be sure that no one knows you're here," Barry reminded him. "And right now the best place for that is right here in STAR Labs."

"As opposed to what? As opposed to braving the world out there with those so-called metahumans that you're consistently finding yourselves trying to defeat and capture?" Professor Stein demanded. "Is that what we are to you now? Your prisoners to do whatever you want with?"

"Well, I wouldn't say you're our prisoners but I do believe you're allowed to feel whatever it is you want to feel," Harrison announced his presence. He rolled smoothly into the room and turned to face everyone. "Professor Stein, Ronnie, I do hope you understand that the decisions we make here are for your best interest. As Mr. Allen have said, we can't guarantee your safety if you leave here."

"But you can't expect them to sit in here like pack rats," Professor Stein insisted, starting it raise his voice. "That's inhumane not to mention inconceivable that anyone would want to come after us! There is no one apart from you all that know we're still here."

"The CCPD have already looked into the explosion at the Badlands," Cisco pointed out. "They might already be suspicious."

All eyes then turned to Barry, who suddenly looked like a deer caught in a set of headlights. "W-well, I mean. There wasn't anything that was found there. No footprints or anything and it's not like they can't leave just as long as they come back here, right?"

Cisco nodded in agreement. He turned and started to say something as well and suddenly cut off as there was another flash. This time he was back in STAR Labs with Bette when she had come to visit him around Christmas. How she had warned him about what was going on at STAR Labs, how there was a lot going on he wasn't aware of. If he reached out and touched her he was sure it would've felt that she was right there. But then the sudden flicker disappeared once more and he found himself with his hand in the air as if raising his hand in class.

All eyes were on him.

 _Dammit, Cisco, you really have to stop zoning out like this,_ He reprimanded himself. Then he winced. His mother used to berate him for that all the time when he was younger; but he was dreaming about experiment sand future scientific achievements that could be made. _Okay, no everyone's staring at you, you need to say something._

"I think they should be able to leave," Cisco finally said. "Like Barry said, just as long as they come back. They should be able to feel like they're normal rather than a well kept secret."

Harrison made a humming sound then turned to Caitlin, who stared back at him. "And what do you think?"

Cisco held his breath, unsure of how Caitlin was going to react. Was this a loaded question that meant much more than the surface value? A test as to how the rest of their relationship was going to go? Or was it a straight up question that didn't have any hidden intentions?

"I agree," She said finally.

Harrison blinked twice then nodded. "I see I'm outnumbered here. Ronnie, Professor Stein, I hope you enjoy the time that you have. If you'd excuse me…" he backed away his wheelchair and left the room, heading in the direction of his office. Caitlin watched him leave; opening her mouth to say something then closed it once more.

"Thank you." Professor Stein turned on his heel and left the cortex in long, quick strides.

"Cait?"

Ronnie held his hand out towards Caitlin and she smiled, taking it. He pulled her to her feet and slid his arm around her shoulders as the two left the Cortex. Cisco watched them leave then turned back to Barry.

"Well, it's just you and me," he said.

"Looks like it," Barry agreed. He ran a hand through his hair. "So what are you up for? I'm meeting Iris and Joe later for dinner but I've got plenty of time before then."

"I'm thinking we watch Wrath of Khan and then go out to the pool hall," Cisco suggested.

Barry gave him a slow smile. "You're just hoping that we run into Lisa Snart again don't you?" He asked.

"I'm just trying to think of what's some good bro-time but if you think a girl always has to be involved I'm sure we can have another conversation." Cisco looked at Barry pointedly, smirking when Barry's eyebrows rose and his lips pursed. "Yeah, I thought so."

"Just for that I'm not going easy on you in pool."

"You don't have to everyone knows it's a game of geometry."

"Care to put a friendly wager on it?" Barry held out his hand. "Twenty bucks and the winner gets to pick out the next movie they watch."

Cisco sapped his hand into his. "You got it."

...

..

.

General Eiling paced back and forth as he looked around the Assassination Bureau's faces—of those that had faces. He continued to cast a disbelieving glance at Breathtaker wondering whether or not he only had a pair of hands and glowing eyes beneath the metahuman's red hood. Finally, he turned as the door to the conference room opened and Mica Love walked in once more holding a large stack of papers.

"Is this is?" He asked her.

"Yes, General. It's everything we have on STAR Labs," Mica replied. She stood by him, moving her hands behind her back in a military resting position. "Including the incident you had with Bette Sans Succi earlier in the year."

"Thank you. You're dismissed."

"Yes, General."

Mica left the room and General Eiling didn't speak until he flipped through a few pages once more. Finally, he dropped it onto the table in front of Stratos and Mindboggler with a resounding slam. His lips pressed together and he all but glared at the group in front of him. "I know practically everything that goes on in this city and knowing that Harrison Wells has somehow managed to pull one over on me with your help is the most infuriating thing I've ever come across," he said. "All to make sure you stay out of the so-called Pipeline beneath their facility…" he shook his head then chuckled. "It almost makes me feel like I've underestimated him. But if there's one thing he doesn't know, I'm always one step ahead of him."

"With us working with you, you certainly are," Breathtaker agreed. He nodded over to his cohorts. "But we have to be sure there's an agreement on your end that isn't going to be forgotten once things get rolling."

General Eiling held up his hand. "Your money is being transferred as we speak. Money is of no issue this time around, believe me." He let out a long sigh. "But I have to be sure of the understanding that if you can't complete this task then there will be harsh consequences."

Stratos raised an eyebrow. "I don't think your harsh consequences will yield to anything we wouldn't be able to handle considering the power that we have…that you don't."

General Eiling sniffed once. "Is that so?" At the silence he received he chuckled once more. "I seem to understand that you and the rest of the Assassination Bureau do nothing but find different ways to make money. You take whatever job comes your way as mercenaries. What would you do if I asked you to take down the Gorilla that's running around Central City?"

Mindboggler snorted. "A gorilla?"

"Yes. And that's just the tip of the iceberg of the secrets that Central City and Harrison Wells have to hide from the general public. You see, I know Harrison Wels much like I know the back of my hand, especially in terms of what he is and isn't going to do. And in this case, I know he's going to help me out, especially since I have you under my fold." He looked at his watch. "There's something I have to attend to, please make sure your last member is up to speed when they arrive." He turned on his heel and started to leave the room, only pausing at the door to say, "And tell her to tell Harrison I say 'hi'."

Cadence arrived in the board room about an hour later and when she did, she eyed Breathtaker, Stratos, Incognito, and Mindboggler with disdain before sitting down with them. "Alright what is it?" She asked. "You said if I at least listened to you, you'd make it worth my while." She nodded over to Stratos. "And considering how much he's been watching me again, it has to be something big."

Stratos shrugged. "That's my assignment," he explained. "As it's always has been. We can't have you become a liability to our cause." He slowly started to smile. "How's Brady by the way?"

Immediately, Cadence flung herself out of her seat in a rush of flame and delivered a solid hook to Stratos's face that knocked him out of his seat. As he started to fall to the ground she teleported and caught him before he could touch the ground. With a burst of flame she propelled herself upwards and slammed him into the wall. Then she turned towards Incognito, who in the span of those few seconds, started to get up. He started to turn invisible but Cadence anticipated it. She lifted her feet and placed them on the wall, pushing hard she launched herself backwards and as she arched around, lifted her flaming hand in a punch. The veins that stretched down the inside of her arm started to glow orange as flames collected around her fist. Then she tucked her arms into her chest and started to spin, creating twisting flames around her as she went, which slammed into Incognito and knocked him backwards.

Cadence landed low on the ground and when she started to launch herself into another attack, this time at Breathtaker, Mindboggler held out her hand. Cadence's expression went slack, eyes glowing a bright blue, and she slowly lowered her hands before returning to her her seat, staring straight ahead of her as if looking directly through the wall behind them.

Incognito chuckled as he allowed himself to fill out once more. He took off his hat and dusted it off as he returned to his seat. Stratos levitated from where he was lying on the floor from the force of Cadence's slam against the wall, and glided over to his seat. Breathtaker, on the other hand, didn't move a muscle throughout the entire exchange; instead, he continued to watch the exchange.

"If it's always that easy I don't know why we're bothering with General Eiling," Incognito commented. "We can just get Mindboggler to take the reins for us."

Breathtaker held his hand up. "Patience, Incognito. I have my own plans with General Eiling. Right now we have to be willing participants." He then turned and rested his hand on Mindboggler's shoulder. "Release her please; it's time that we told her what we need her to do."

Mindboggler nodded and dropped her hand, allowing Cadence's head to drop. Then she brought her hand up to her forehead and let out a low groan, getting her bearings as she went. She pressed her fingertips into her temples, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Welcome back," Mindboggler drawled. "You mentioned that we said we'd make this worth your while and it certainly is."

"We seem to remember the last time we came into contact with you and the Flash that there was a certain agenda you were already on your way to complete. Or at least, were interested in, and as it has come to our attention there's a chance for you to help out your friend, The Flash."

Cadence looked him in the eye. "Doing what?"

"Capturing the Reverse-Flash."

...

..

.

"Hey," Barry called as he walked into the West house. He expect for the scent of dinner cooking to hit him in the face but found that wasn't the case. So Iris hadn't arrived yet; it was her turn to cook for them.

That was the bright side of living in what was now a bachelor pad, there was plenty to snack on while waiting for the good food to come in. Kicking off his shoes, Barry dropped his keys onto the table by the door and headed into the kitchen. As he passed through the doorway Joe, who was surrounded by papers at the table, jumped and started to gather them together as quickly as he could.

"Is everything alright, Joe?" He asked.

"Yeah." Joe continued to gather papers together, shuffling them as quickly as he could. "I just…I have lot of work that needs to be done and I didn't expect anyone to be here so soon."

"Uh, Iris said to be here by seven."

"Right. Right."

Barry watched Joe for another moment then his curiosity got the best of him and he used his super speed to grab a few documents before Joe could get them then backed up a few steps to examine them himself. His eyes widened when he realized it was an extensive background check on Tess Morgan and Harrison Wells. "What is this?" He demanded.

"Now, Barry, before you freak out it's not anything that serious," Joe said slowly. He stood up from the table and let out a long sigh, sticking his hands into his armpits. "You can't tell me that you haven't been a little bit curious since Iris mentioned that she happened to run into Tess Morgan what she could be doing back in Central City when she's supposed to be dead."

Barry's silence gave Joe the answer he was looking for.

"How is it that she could manage to live through a car accident that was as bad as it was, of which Harrison Wells was convinced she was dead and miraculously still be alive?"

"It was a car accident, Joe! An accident that bad would've had a chance of causing some trauma to the head that could lead to shock or a feeling of daze which would momentarily confuse even the most sounds of brains," Barry commented. "And depending on the circumstances of the injuries Central City may not have had the funds to help her."

"If that were the case why would Harrison continue to tell everyone he's come into contact with that he lost his wife and continues to refer to her that she _is_ dead?" Joe insisted. He reached out his hands and placed them on Barry's shoulders. "Barry, there's something going on here, something that Harrison Wells isn't being so truthful about."

Barry lowered the papers back to the table top and rested his hands against it. He lowered his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Barry, think about this," Joe continued. "How does the man know so much about you and what you're doing if he hasn't been watching you for a while?" He paused. "For fifteen years."

Now Barry lifted his head and looked at Joe through narrowed eyes. "Are you telling me that Harrison Wells had something to do with my mother's death? That he's the Reverse-Flash?" Joe shrugged in response. "That's ridiculous. He's not the Reverse-Flash!"

"Do you know that?"

"Do _you_ know that?" Barry pushed himself upright. "He's been _helping_ me this entire time. Why would he help me if he killed my mother and is trying to kill me, too?"

"I don't know, Bare, but it's something we need to think about going forward," Joe insisted. "And to know if Tess has anything to do with it." He paused and eyed Barry closely. "And how far of a reach after that…"

Now Barry glared. "Cade has absolutely nothing to do with this; she doesn't even know that her mother, her _real_ mother, _may_ be around." He made sure to put emphasis on the fact that neither of them knew for sure Tess was back in town as they hadn't seen her in person. "Which…I should've told her once I found out but…" he shook his head. He had no idea why he hadn't mentioned it to her yet, why he was keeping it a secret. It was going to be hard to handle, considering how badly she handled the news of Harrison really being her father.

"I wasn't just talking about her, I was talking about Caitlin and Cisco as well," Joe pointed out. "They've been working with him for a long time; their allegiance may be with him."

"What allegiance? They haven't done anything!" Now Barry was doing his best to keep calm. His head was starting to hurt, pounding at the temples and sending wave after wave of pain through his brain and down his neck and back.

"Barry, you need to calm down. I'm just trying to help you!"

"By telling me that some of my best friends may be working with someone who may have killed my mother fifteen years ago and is pretending to be my friend? None of that make sense!"

Joe sent out a sharp breath through his nose. "What do you know about him, Barry? Other than what you may have devoured from his autobiography and all of the other articles printed about him?"

"As much as I need to," Barry replied, starting to raise his voice. "But then again, I'm speaking to the person whose best friend was framed for murder and he didn't believe him to be innocent. I've known you for _years_ Joe and I still can't believe how you thought that my Dad would _do_ something like that!"

And he couldn't believe how he still hadn't managed to accomplish anything that would get his father out of jail. Henry knew he was the Flash, he was sure of it, and yet he couldn't do anything that could help him finally prove to everyone that he wasn't a murderer and loved his wife very much. And as it stood, if he couldn't do that for his father at the current moment in time, then maybe he could convince Joe that Harrison wasn't a murderer either.

Instead of getting angry, Joe reached out and placed his hands on Barry's face, looking deep into his eyes. "Barry, I know this is hard for you but I'm worried. I'm worried about _you_ as I've always been. I know I haven't been the best friend that your father has needed but you know I'm on your sand his side now. And that's all that matters. I'm trying to keep you and Iris and everyone else safe and I'm sorry that that brings Dr. Wells into my suspicions but it does."

Barry squeezed his eyes shut as another jolt raced across his brain. This time it was more debilitating than it had been before. A scream of pain escaped Barry's lips and he fell to his knees with Joe holding him as he did so. Joe's voice suddenly sounded as if it were far away as every color surrounding Barry suddenly brightened to neon shades. Barry sucked in a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut, willing the pain to go away. But it continued to come.

"Barry. Hang in there, Bare. I got you."

He could hear Joe talking but it was fuzzy and distorted, almost as if he was trying to speak over the sound of a TV that had just lost its signal. Finally, the pain started to subside and Barry found himself able to move again. He regained the feeling in his arms and legs and gently pushed himself up as Joe helped him.

"What's going on?" Joe asked him.

"I—I don't know," Barry stammered in response. "It was like…like I was struck by lightning again." His eyes darted around and he flinched as if there were a few seconds between him and being stuck once more. "I don't know where that came from."

"Can you stand up?" Joe helped him upright and practically dragged him to an empty seat the closest to him. He reached up his hands and looked into Barry's face once more, going as far as to pull up his eyelids to check his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, Joe, I'm fine," Barry replied. He pressed his hands to his face, waiting as the rest of the tingling feeling went away. His back stiffened when he heard the sound of the front door open and Iris call out.

"Hello?" Iris called. "Where is everybody?"

"In the kitchen, baby," Joe called back. He gave Barry another long, curious glance and Barry gave the peace sign in reply, forcing a smile. They were going to have the conversation again another time, but right now they had to act like everything was okay. He was already starting to feel better as it was. "How was your day?"

"It was alright," Iris replied as she strolled into the kitchen. She placed a grocery bag down on the counter. "Could've been better, I guess. You know how I was talking about my co-worker Mason and how much of a jerk he is?" Barry and shrugged and nodded as Joe made a noncommittal sound, helping her pull out the groceries she brought over. "Well, he's even more of a jerk than I thought. I tried to tell him that I had someone helping me on the story about Tess Morgan—"

Barry and Joe exchanged a glance but didn't say anything.

"And he completely shut me down," Iris continued.

"Uh, baby, don't you have to get some sort of permission to interview Tess or to write the story on her?" Joe asked. Behind his back he waved a hand towards Barry, who quickly understood.

"Yeah, there are ethics and other journalistic laws that'll keep you from doing them if they say 'no' right?" Barry added.

Iris turned around and rested her back against the counter behind her. "I know, I know, I get it," she said to the two. "I was just trying to get a good story that would set me apart from everyone else on the staff instead of having to write about The Flash all the time."

Barry felt a little annoyed. "I don't think there's anything wrong with writing about how the Flash has been helping Central City."

Iris quickly agreed with him. "There's not, I just want to write about something else. Though he _did_ manage to stop a lot of attempted robberies and carjacking today. Some of the staff was saying that it almost broke a sort of record of the most amount of things he's done in a day."

"It did break the record," Barry said quickly then sucked his lips into his mouth when Iris looked at him strangely. "I mean, that's the word around the CCPD." He cleared his throat. "Actually, the Flash wouldn't have been able to do it without help."

"Oh right, from Flash Fire," Iris replied. Barry was about to correct her again, saying that she had changed her name to Flare then quickly cut himself off. It hadn't been announced nor was he—Barry—supposed to know about it. Instead, he cleared his throat, waiting for Iris to finish. "Yeah, she's been doing a pretty good job to help but The Flash was here first. He's been around a lot longer than Flash Fire has been and has gone on to do some really great things for this city. But Flash Fire came in from out of nowhere. And besides, everyone knows that Flash Fire is just his sidekick. I mean, they have similar names and everything."

"But she's not a sidekick, they're equal partners," Barry insisted. He thought for a moment, a different angle to get her to see his point. "I'm sure there're plenty of people on your blog that have sent in pictures of her. Pictures of her doing good things to help out?"

Iris nodded in agreement. "A few. There's even been a few that were going to be printed in the paper because the Flash was in them too but then they had to be changed to just ones of the Flash last minute."

"Why's that, baby?" Joe asked before Barry got the chance to break in.

"Because she's his sidekick, not the main story."

"She's _not_ a sidekick!" Barry cried, all but throwing his arms into the air. "Half of the fights he's been on he wouldn't have been able to finish unless she and her fire powers were there to help!" He immediately realized his mistake and changed the subject, looking to the bag of food she had brought. But his emphatic outburst stunned Iris into silence. "So, what's for dinner?"

Iris stared at him for a long moment and Barry did his best to keep his gaze averted. But when he looked at her and found her staring at him his gaze shifted to Joe, who put his hands up and turned away as if to say 'leave me out of this'. _Smart man._ "What's going on, Barry?" She asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you don't usually have this sort of reaction to anything that has to do with The Flash or Flash Fire." Her eyes narrowed. "As a matter of fact I seem to remember you doing your best to keep me from writing my blog about it. And now you're trying to keep me from writing for the Newspaper." She paused. "No, you're trying to keep me from writing about The Flash for my blog but about Tess for the newspaper. You said that yourself. Why don't you want me to write about them?"

"Because I don't want you to get stuck in a corner with your writing! You wrote a great story about Stagg, you've done so many other articles at CCU that were amazing .Why do you want to get stuck in things about The Flash and STAR Labs?"

"I never said any of them had to do with STAR Labs."

She didn't? Barry quickly rewound through his thoughts then cursed himself when he found her to be telling the truth. Okay, maybe he had blurted that out a little bit quicker than he had anticipated and judging from the look on Joe's face he felt the same way. "I mean, my being struck by lightning because of the Particle Accelerator explosion,"—he tried not to get nauseous once more of the thought of pain that had just recently shot through his head—"the Flash working with some of the cases with the CCPD and getting some help from Caitlin and Cisco…" he trailed off to show it wasn't much to think about.

"Barry Allen, you're lying to me," Iris declared.

"Well, you have to admit a leap that far isn't that hard. It's like he said, there's been many cases that STAR Labs has helped us out with because it ended up having to do with metahumans," Joe said, coming to Barry's rescue. "And it's not like we don't support you in everything you do. It's like Barry said, there's a lot of great articles you've done and will continue to do. We just don't want you to bring unnecessary danger to yourself and I'm sure Eddie would agree."

"I would agree to what?" Eddie asked, walking into the kitchen with a grocery bag under his arm.

"Nothing, Eddie, we're just having a little disagreement," Joe said, running a hand through his hair. "Which seems to be a common theme today," he added under his breath to which only Barry hear him say. "Why don't we check out the score of the game?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," Eddie agreed. He handed iris his bag of groceries, giving her a quick kiss before leaving the room so Iris and Barry sat in silence.

Running his hands through his hair Barry said, "Look, Iris, I'm just worried. There's a new metahuman out there nearly every day and I don't want you to get hurt because of something that you post on your blog or write about in the newspaper."

Iris's face softened and she reached out, taking Barry's hand in hers. "I understand that, Barry. But you can't sit back and protect me from every little thing that comes our way. Dad can't do that and you certainly can't if our self-defense classes were anything to go by." She started to smile, making Barry smile as well. "I'm sorry I managed to punch you out those few times but you should've gotten used to my fighting style at _some_ point."

"And I'm sure that's a story you're waiting to tell during my wedding."

"With baited breath."

Now Barry laughed.

"I don't want to argue about this anymore, Barry. I know you support me but I know that your worry trumps that by a mile. But I'm okay. I'm tough. I know what I'm getting myself into. I can do this. And, you have to admit Barry; something weird is going on with STAR Labs. Enough so that they know what to do with every metahuman that's come around? Can't you understand why I want to look into it? You're my best friend and I almost lost you once. I don't want to lose you again."

"Iris…when you almost lost me the first time it was Dr. Wells, Cisco, and Caitlin that helped me. I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for them." Barry bobbed his head back and forth. "I'll admit Central City is a weird place right now. But to think they're hiding something so big…? It's just not like them."

"I guess you're right," Iris agreed. She squeezed his hand again. "So what do you say helping me with dinner for old time's sake? But I promise it won't be like that one father's day where we nearly burned down the kitchen."

"We wouldn't have almost burnt it down if you had just listened to me and didn't try to pick up the hot pan with a bunch of wadded up paper towels."

"All of our oven mitts were wet!"

Barry chuckled and helped Iris unbag the second of groceries and start to figure out what was going to be for dinner. Despite the time they spent together laughing and reminiscing while making dinner Barry's mind was split in two different directions; one) he was afraid that blinding shock of pain was going to come back and two) knowing that no matter how many times Iris said she was going to let it go, she wasn't.

And if she wasn't going to do that, then Barry would have to find the Reverse-Flash and clear everything up himself.

...

..

.

Harrison made sure the door to his time vault was closed before he stood up from his wheelchair. He stretched his arms over his head before lacing his fingers together and rested his palms against the back of his neck. This wasn't going as well as he had hoped but at least there was some sort of a silver lining to it. Things were progressing in as linear of a fashion as he expected and that was all he could hope for. Bringing his hands down from his neck he walked over to the glass encasing his Reverse-Flash suit and pressed his hand against the glass. He could practically feel the power radiating from the suit, despite how weak he felt at the moment.

Lowering his hand from the glass, Harrison brought his hand up and started to slide the gold ring around his finger back and forth. Over and over again. Finally, he walked over to the small podium at the front of the room and cleared his throat. "Gideon?"

The AI's face immediately appeared in front of him, as dutiful as ever. "Yes, Dr. Wells?"

Harrison closed his eyes and shook his head. "Please bring up my real image."

"Yes, Dr. Wells." Gideon's face was then replaced with a screen that stretched from the floor to Harrison's exact height. It flickered on and Harrison stared at his reflection. "Would you prefer for me to call you Eobard?"

Harrison shook his head as he continued to take in his reflection; stronger build, blonde hair that was starting to turn a sandy brown, blue/green eyes, dimpled chin, and a strong glare that held his barely concealed anger and frustration. How long would it be until he could completely reveal himself? If it hadn't been for Barry going back in time things would have progressed a lot faster. He knew something had happened as soon as Barry started to act even stranger than normal and it didn't take long for him to figure out what it was.

Didn't he understand the troubles he caused? Especially because he couldn't keep it a secret, messing with a timeline was much more disastrous than he could ever anticipate. And it made him angrier than he could ever imagine. He had to keep himself from following his instinct of wanting to shove his fist straight through everyone's hearts around him just so long as they were in his way.

He took in a deep breath and pressed the palms of his hands against his face. He took a few more deep breaths then lowered his hands once more. Finally, he was a little bit calmer. He had to stay calm so that he could finish his plan.

He tore his gaze away from his reflection as a sudden warning signal shot through the room. Tilting his head to the side, Harrison pushed his glasses up his nose and watched as the mirror in front of him suddenly shot back into the ceiling. "Gideon, who is in STAR Labs? They're not one of the authorized people to be within the premises or else the alarms wouldn't have gone off."

"Let me bring up the video feed, Dr. Wells."

Harrison's eyes narrowed for a moment as Gideon pulled up the video feed from STAR Labs. Then he relaxed. But only for a moment before a lightning bolt of emotions shot through him; annoyance, frustration, suspicion, disbelief, realization, and acceptance all rolled into one. He slowly turned on his heel and walked to his wheelchair. Lowering himself down, he maneuvered it around and headed out towards the floor of the Cortex. His guest didn't know he was coming, didn't even know he was still there considering the devil-may-care attitude exhibited as they looked around the laboratories. Then again, he couldn't blame them.

They were part of the reason that STAR Labs was even in existence.

"Well, well, well," Harrison commented as he wheeled through the doors and faced his guest. They turned around and stared at him for a long moment, allowing him to come to a complete stop in front of them. "If it isn't Tess Morgan." He smiled up at her, resting his hands in his lap. They were starting to shake despite his otherwise calm demeanor. "I can't say I'm surprised that you came back to Central City, you always did say it was one of your favorite places to live."

"We've moved around so much I'm surprised we were able to see much of anything," Tess pointed out. She placed her hands no her hips as she turned to face him. "Now Starling, Starling I remember because _you_ were the one that consistently told me that they should've named it _Star_ city considering how many lights they had on all over the city. And instead you named your laboratory space STAR Labs."

"I had a good incentive for it," Harrison said, his smile fading slightly. Ever so slightly. He kept his eyes locked onto Tess and she didn't look away, either. "What are you doing here, Tess? I thought…"

"I thought the same," Tess murmured. "When I came to I heard you…" she shook he head. "I guess it doesn't matter what I thought anymore, here you are."

"And here _you_ are," Harrison agreed.

Tess felt herself starting to smile, her lips pulling back to show off her teeth in a grin she hated when she was a kid but others in her life managed to love. She walked over to Harrison and placed her hands on his cheeks, tilting his head back to look into his eyes. Harrison looked back into hers, watching s they shifted back and forth, taking over every plane of his face.

And he studied her, feeling something in his chest he hadn't felt for a long time. Something he had felt when he was with Caitlin but ten times stronger. He thought he had managed to push it away and it frustrated as well as confused him.

"Where were you?" Harrison murmured.

"Coast City," Tess replied. "Physical therapy, getting a lot of work done. I was pretty banged up after the accident. I was at Central City General then air lifted to Coast City where there were better resources."

"I thought you were dead," Harrison finally said the words he wouldn't allow himself to say out loud before. Deep in his heart he knew there wasn't much of a chance for her to be alive after that accident. Not from the way she had hung lifelessly next to him. Then he was in the hospital being checked and the next thing he knew he was back at his house…at _their_ house by himself. And he waited. And nothing changed.

So he put himself back into his work and kept himself from thinking about her, from dreaming about her, from even giving himself the slight chance she would make her way back to him. And yet here she was.

This time he said it out loud was for himself. In his mind she was dead, buried, gone. But there she was standing right in front of him, looking at him with the same gaze that showed no matter how much he thought she was out of his league she didn't feel the same way. She was always by his side, cheering him on with every experiment and research idea that came to mind. And now here she was again, continuing to hold that place.

Harrison reached up his hand and grasped Tess's hands in his. They were warm. Real. Alive. She was truly there. Grasping her wrists, Harrison pulled Tess down and gave her a long kiss. Tess's grasp tightened against his face and Harrison could feel her trembling with emotion.

When the kiss ended he found her entire body shaking with emotion. "I just…I don't…" she looked down at his wheelchair in surprise. "I heard some things happened with your Particle Accelerator…and the metahumans…but I never…" she cut herself off when Harrison's grasp suddenly turned viselike.

"What did you hear?" He asked. "I need to know _everything_ you know about the Particle Accelerator and the metahumans."

Tess nodded. She removed her hands from Harrison's face and took a step away from him. Then her eyebrows came together and she brought her hands to her forehead, brushing her hair back. "The Particle Accelerator exploded and it caused the creation of metahumans in Central City…like The Flash. And…" she lowered her hands from her hair. "And there's this reporter I met, she's trying to do a story on me, on me being back in Central City. She wants to know what I think about your work and the Particle Accelerator explosion."

Harrison tilted his head to the side. "And what's the reporter's name?"

"Iris West," Tess replied.

With a slow nod, Harrison shifted his gaze to the side. When he looked back at Tess he made up his mind. "Leave that to me."

* * *

 **A/N:** I originally had it that Barry's and Cadence's date was in this chapter but it had to be pushed into the next one considering how much of a focus there was on Tess and Harrison in this one. So now Harrison knows that Tess is alive and well and now we've got the reveal of Harrison being Eobard. We'll see what that means for the rest of Team Flash and what it means as Cade's supposed to be capturing him.

At the moment I see this story going as far as 50 chapters in case anyone was wondering. The rest of the story has more of an original feel to it but the canon parts I'm keeping are just going to be re-worked as I've done with some plots before. Also, Ryder's part of the story gets bigger with the next chapter.

Let me know what you think? What did you like? Not like? What else would you like to see? What are you excited for? Confused about? Do you have any general questions or comments? Feel free to let me know.

 **DawnMay/Sialia-currucoides:** Thank you for mentioning how Barry's and Cade's relationship seemed a bit one-sided. I do have something planned but it's going to take a little bit longer for it to get there but not so long where it's an incredibly long wait. And also, thank you for pointing out that Cade is indeed a complex character. There's going to be more insight into her time in Metropolis coming soon as well as more of an emphasis on what Barry's going through so that he doesn't continue to become a stale character compared to the others. Here's the start of the scene with Barry and Iris arguing over Flash Fire's/Flare's status of being a superhero in her own right it'll certainly come to a head at a different time, I hope you enjoyed this part of it. Thanks again for the review and things to think about.

 **Ethan:** Lois Lane is basically the Iris West of the Superman lore. But she's even more so important because of the show Smallville which was a show that told of Clark Kent's time in high school as he dealt with his powers while working to become Superman. Because Metropolis is scene a lot in that show and it's where Cadence is from, it was only a matter of time until characters from Smallville popped up considering I've mentioned the city numerous times before in this story and _Flash Fire._ As for what it is that's brought her to Central City that's just to be seen. And as DawnMay also mentioned with Iris's selfishness, there's a reason for it and it was at least hinted here, though if you watch the episode Tricksters again it explains the reason why.

My sisters' and my crossover story _Flashpoint_ is coming soon where we get to see Cadence and Brady Nash ( _Flash Fire and Crossfire)_ , Averey Moore ( _In a Flash)_ , and Sage Moreaux ( _The Mark of Sage)_ team up with Barry and other Flarrow characters to stop a new enemy. It'll be posted on the profile Crystal Manning and I'll be sure to keep you all updated when it is posted.

 **-Riles**


	29. No Such Thing As A Coincidence

**.:29:.**

 _No Such Thing As A Coincidence_

* * *

Harrison zoomed back into the time vault, placing his Reverse Flash suit onto the mannequin. He stretched out his arms and rested them on the back of his head, closing his eyes. He needed to calm down. Just because he had a minor setback this time didn't mean his plan was completely failed yet. As it was, he needed more time to make sure things were set up just as he needed them to be. Lowering himself into his wheelchair he headed out into the cortex and frowned when he spotted Barry sitting at an empty computer, staring into space.

He resisted the urge to get up and take care of him in that moment. The time wasn't right. Instead, he moved to get Barry's attention. "Barry. Barry? Barry?" Barry jerked and looked around at Harrison as he moved his wheelchair next to him. His mouth curled up in the corner. "It appears that it's not only your body that moves a mile a minute, but your mind too."

Barry laughed though his nose. "I've gotten used to that," he remarked. "Sometimes it makes it hard to sleep, but I've gotten used to the constant thoughts that buzz through my head."

"Right." Harrison nodded. There was a long silence between the two of them before Harrison spoke up once more. "I believe that Cisco and Caitlin are currently showing Ronnie and Professor Stein around the Pipeline…is there something you wanted to speak about? I can't imagine the CCPD would give you the day off when you're the only forensic scientist that has actually done something about crime scenes around here."

With that remark, Barry looked at him out of the corner of his eye. There was no doubt that Harrison Wells was someone who was very private about his own life, but also had a habit of being…strangely correct on a lot of things. As Cisco would probably say about someone else who seemed to understand Barry's and other metahuman's powers more than anyone else, he was 'shadier than Lex Luthor'. But the comment about a crime scene stuck out to him the most due to studying his mother's crime scene for so many years and now with Joe suspecting Harrison may have something to do with his mother's death just made him wonder that much more.

He hated that he was questioning it, but he was questioning it all the same.

"Oh, no, I've finished my shift. I'm on call. I know it's weird…" Barry started off. "That I'm here…" He leaned forward in his seat, staring at the blank computer monitor in front of him. Harrison's reflection looked back at him, staring intently at Barry. Barry kept his gaze as he watched the man. "But there're just some things that I can't figure out. My dad…I'm sure he knows I'm the Flash. I don't know how he figured it out but I think he knows. I want to tell him but I don't want him to become a target, to worry more for me than I need to worry about him being in there. That I _am_ going to prove to _everyone_ he didn't kill my mother."

Harrison continued to nod at Barry's explanation, resisting the urge to let anything show on his face. It didn't appear that Barry was entirely onto him but that still didn't sit well with him. He needed to be more careful. Especially now that Tess was around, he needed to work on that reveal carefully, only at the right time.

As it was, he didn't know how much Barry knew about her anyway. _But that reporter…Iris…she does seem to put her nose in everyone's business, probably has a big mouth as well._ Harrison narrowed his eyes.

Yes, it was quite possible Barry knew about Tess.

He just needed to know for sure.

"Barry, we're going to do everything we can to help you," Harrison said instead. "You know that. As it is, we need to focus on you getting faster. The faster you get, the better things will be for all of us." He started to turn his wheelchair around to go to his computer then paused when he got a good look at Barry. Something washed over him, that pushed away the feeling of resentment that had plagued him a moment before. Now he was a few seconds away from grinning. "Why are you so dressed up?"

For a moment Barry looked confused, then his eyes widened a little. "I…uh, actually, I'm going out on a date," he explained."

"Not with Iris," Harrison prompted.

"No. Not with Iris." Barry sucked in a breath, almost wincing. "Um, with Cadence, actually."

Harrison then chuckled, noticing the almost terrified expression on Barry's face, as if he was expecting Harrison to leap out of his chair and strangle him. "Well, it's about time," he remarked causing Barry's face to quickly—almost instantly—relax. "My priorities in life may have shifted since Tess's death but I'm not blind, Mr. Allen. Not a lot gets by me."

No, it certainly didn't.

...

..

.

Barry ran his hands over his face, knees bouncing up and down as he waited for his father to sit down across from him. His conversation with Harrison hadn't helped anything. As a matter of fact, it made him nervous. So very nervous despite not really understanding why. Or not allowing himself to understand it. No. There was just no way Harrison was the Reverse-Flash, the "Man in Yellow" who killed his mother.

It made absolutely no sense. _Why_ would Harrison want to kill his mother and what would that mean for him if he did? What would he gain from that? Barry was smart, but the only thing he certainly wasn't' smart enough to do was outsmart Harrison Wells. No, Harrison Wells had a vast knowledge of many things and whatever his reasoning to do things was something only he shared when he felt was a good time. Barry shook his head and leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes.

 _You have to stop thinking like this, Barry,_ he thought. _It's just Joe's suspicions over nothing._ He focused his attention on his father as he was maneuvered into the seat across from him and grabbed onto the phone to speak. "So I'm starting to think that you're going to come up with some excuse to stay in here with me, Slugger."

Barry laughed lightly. "What makes you say that?"

"Because this is the most you've visited me than you have in the last couple of years." Henry's smile faded for a moment and his eyes narrowed. He studied his son and despite how Barry kept his expression neutral, he was a father and he knew his son better than anything. "What's the matter, Barry? It seems like every time you come in here you're less cheerful than you were before, too."

A light sigh escaped Barry's lips. He turned his head to eth side then turned back to the phone, practically pressing his lips directly onto the phone. "There's just…there's a lot of things going on that I don't know if I can handle it anymore. There's so much pressure being put on me and I don't…I don't know Dad, I just don't know."

It was the first time he said it out loud and as much as he felt a weight off his shoulders, his eyes started to well up, too. There _was_ a lot of pressure on him. He had the promise he made to his mother and father to figure out what happened to his mother. But that was before he became The Flash, that was before he had a duty to save the entirety of Central City, that was before the Rogues and the Black Flash, that was before Ronnie and Professor Stein, that was before the Assassination Bureau and the Suicide Squad, it was before everything became so dire and he couldn't think straight.

Even the thought of having a day to himself where he would do absolutely nothing Flash related made him break out into a cold sweat. The last thing he ever wanted to do was let anyone down, but the thought of letting the entire city down. He tossed and turned with flashes of Captain Cold, Heatwave, Golden Glider, Weather Wizard…or any other metahuman they hadn't come across yet taking over the city and ruling it under a controlling empire that would make him obsolete. And the idea of losing Cisco, Caitlin, Cadence, Brady, Ronnie, Professor Stein, Iris, Eddie, and Joe like that…?

"Barry."

It was that voice again. The same tone Henry used when they were speaking about the Flash. And as Barry looked Henry in the eye, he still knew that his father knew. He just…he couldn't get the words out to confirm it for him. Not when there was already so much at stake.

"And there you go again, Barry. You always have to go running after trouble to keep someone else out of it," Henry said. "All those times you got chased around by those bullies because you wanted to help someone else who was too weak and small to be picked on…" a deep chuckle escaped Henry's lips, making his eyes crinkle up in the corner and gleam. "You always do seem to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, especially if it's not your weight to carry."

"Hey, I learned from the best," Barry defended himself. "You were the best surgeon Central City has ever seen. Whenever you had a patient who couldn't afford the procedure you'd pay for it yourself. You're the least selfish person anyone could ever look up to, Dad. And I'm glad I'm your son."

"But?"

"Who said there was a 'but'?"

"There always is."

Barry chuckled. With his experience with as many metahumans that seemed to come his way for fun, that certainly was the truth. He couldn't ever have anything go easily for him anymore. "But, sometimes, I'm not as cut out for greatness as everyone else seems to think I am."

"Barry…" Now Henry took a deep breath and looked Barry right in the eye. "I want you to listen to me very carefully. Your mother and I…we never wanted for you to follow us in our footsteps. We wanted you to make decisions on your own. If you wanted to go travel the world, then it would be because _you_ wanted to travel, not because of your mother's stories. If you wanted to go into a career in medicine, it was because _you_ wanted to, not because of me. You're destined for great things, Barry; I've known that in my bones since you were born. And I've loved following you around as you discovered everything you've ever wanted to discover. When you talked about things that I had no idea even existed I listened with an ear and a heart full of pride. It's normal to think that you're not cut out for things, that you may have made a mistake with your life. But you haven't. I know that and I know _you_ know that."

Barry nodded.

"You have to live your life for you, Barry. Do that first and everything else will fall into place." Henry reached up a hand and wiped a tear away from his eye. "If all else fails I'll always be proud of you."

And those were the exact words Barry needed to hear. The words that pushed all of his fears aside. He wouldn't have been able to get that sort of response from Harrison, despite how much of a mentor he had become ever since he had received his powers. Maybe even before then when Harrison, Caitlin, and Cisco had helped keep him alive. He remembered hearing bits and pieces of their conversations as they went and Harrison had been by his side for a lot of it, coaxing him into letting them know he was going to waken soon. It took a long time after he had awakened for Barry to piece it all together but still…

"Now, is there anything _good_ that you want to tell me?" Henry pressed. "Like why you're so dressed up?"

"This isn't _that_ dressed up," Barry defended himself, now a little annoyed. Okay, so maybe he _had_ spent a lot of time getting changed to figure out what to wear. And maybe Joe _had_ threatened to shoot him if he went back upstairs to change for the twentieth time after Barry rejected Joe's advice. "Yeah, I'm going somewhere later. After I finish talking to you." He looked at his watch and groaned a little. "Actually, I'm running late."

"Then you better get going," Henry insisted. "And don't you dare try to use me as an excuse, Slugger. Be a man and own up to your mistakes."

A laugh escaped Barry's lip as he started to stand. "Alright, Dad. I'll see you later."

"Unless you or someone else is dying, please don't make it _too_ soon. You're really starting to worry me." Henry smiled and placed his receiver back in its cradle, smiled at Barry once more, and turned to the guard to lead him away. Barry pressed his hand against the glass to say goodbye and closed his eyes. When he opened them again he stared at his reflection for a minute then jumped backwards in surprise. His reflection had been different; old and withered as if he had rapidly aged within a span of a few seconds.

Not quite.

There were cracks and rivulets in his face filled with blood. That wasn't the part that made him jump back, what startled him was what appeared to be the reflection of the Reverse-Flash standing behind him as well. But there was no gust of wind that accompanied it as it always did when he moved around. Nothing. Just a reflection, as if he hadn't been there at all.

Barry brought his hands up to his face and rubbed it, feeling the smooth skin. And his reflection, his _good_ reflection, did the same. He shook his head and tried to catch his breath. If not taking a day for himself was going to make him see things, then he really _was_ his own worst enemy.

...

..

.

"And this is where we hold the metas," Cisco explained as he waved his arms out, like a magician.

Caitlin squeezed Ronnie's hand as they strolled along behind Cisco and Professor Stein, who marveled at the particle accelerator. He smiled back and squeezed her hand back. As a fluttery of happy butterflies moved through her stomach Caitlin tried to get them to keep the distinct feeling of fear at bay. She was afraid of what would happen if she touched him if he was, potentially, going to burst into flames—which was a fear she had since he and Professor Stein had managed to split, and was afraid of her own supposed abilities. She hadn't felt cold or had been able to momentarily freeze things for a long time. Not since the Suicide Squad and Assassination Bureau had left Central City.

And then, of course, there was Harrison. She had been avoiding him since Ronnie came back around but there was unresolved issues and not just because of their feelings for each other but because Caitlin wasn't sure if she entirely trusted him anymore. He had wanted to right into potentially killing him and Professor Stein with no thought to it, and he _had_ been the one that knew the Particle Accelerator had a chance to explode and went through the plan anyway.

He was her mentor and now he was as much of a stranger to her as anyone walking down the street.

Caitlin was broken out of her thoughts as Ronnie's hand slipped from hers. She turned to the side and watched as Cisco opened the door leading to a particle accelerator pod and shook her head when she spotted Hartley sitting back against the ground. His arms encircled his legs, hands that grasped each other's wrists tightly enough to shake, and an intense expression with closed eyes and lips firmly pressed together. Hartley lifted his head as the door opened and he practically glared at Cisco.

"Wow, you weren't kidding," Ronnie commented, walking closer to the pod. "You really _do_ have Hartley in there."

Hartley's eyes shifted over to Ronnie and he tilted his head to the side. Removing his hands from each other he brought up his right hand and started to gently tug at his ear lobe. Caitlin knew because of having removed Hartley's hearing aids he was in consistent pain due to damaged hearing and ear-drums since the explosion. But the pain he was enduring was enough compared to what he had done to the rest of the STAR Labs team.

"Well, if it isn't Ronnie Raymond," Hartley commented as the engineer came closer to his pod. "I have to be honest; I'm surprised you managed to make it." He shrugged and his gaze slid over to Caitlin. "You have to make up for lost time, I suppose."

Caitlin's upper lip curled and Ronnie took a step towards him. A bright, almost smug smile was on his face which was very unlike Ronnie. "I'm sure you would do the same if you were able to get out of here." He took a step forward and Hartley shrank back a little, looking Ronnie up and down. "If you had anyone to get back to."

With a light roll of his eyes, Hartley pulled harder at his ear lobe. "Always going for the low blows, Ronnie. Who is it that seems to have the preference for male attention? Me or the _frat_ boy?"

"Trust me when I say the only thing that's managed to keep Ronald's attention, apart from pizza, is this young lady over here," Professor Stein said, motioning to Caitlin, causing her to smile. It widened when Ronnie turned and smiled her way as well.

 _This is real,_ she reminded herself. _It's all real. He's back and he's normal. And he's going to stay here with me. He's not going anywhere._

"How very touching," Hartley said without an ounce of warmth in his voice.

"Hey, Pied Piper," Cisco spoke up. "We're just here on a little field trip, okay? To show off our little trophy a bit." He smirked as Hartley then sent a glare his way.

"So how do they use the bathroom and get fed?" Professor Stein asked. He walked closer to Hartley's pod and pressed his hand against the glass as if looking for a giveaway or some hidden secret about it. "Isn't it a bit unethical to keep them kept up in here while the rest of you continue to live and walk free amongst your lives?"

Caitlin and Cisco exchanged a glance. It was something they had debated with Harrison a lot. Something that made Caitlin feel a little weird about at first. They essentially had a prison beneath their feet, a prison for metahumans, but a prison nonetheless. Yes, they gave those metahumans a chance to go the bathroom and gave them food but it was easy to forget about them once they were in the cortex.

"Once you can see what all of these guys can do, then you start to realize there are many sacrifices we have to make," Cisco said after a moment of silence. He cleared his throat. "We take shifts to let them use the facilities and give them food. We don't leave them here just for shits and giggles."

Ronnie turned and motioned to Hartley. "Are you sure about that?"

"Okay, maybe we do with that one," Cisco admitted. "But the others, we use them for our studies .To get a better understand of how one person's abilities differ from another's. Is it possible for metahuman abilities to mix and be used together."

"More specifically we want to see what it is that links metahumans together," Caitlin agreed. She motioned for Cisco to close Hartley's pod. "I think we've had enough fun poking him with that proverbial stick today, Cisco." She walked over to Professor Stein and clasped her hands together. "I know this may seem like it is unethical, but there are really good things we're trying to do. If we can figure out what has changed in someone's DNA after the explosion—"

"—like a strand of the DNA or some sort of a genetic link," Professor Stein broke in. His eyes shone as he started to pace back and forth, gesticulating wildly. Ronnie leaned back out of the way with every pass of his hand. "Yes, yes, that's brilliant! If there is a way to determine if there is one, then that can open a plethora of research opportunities. If there's a gene that can be found, then maybe the ability to be a metahuman was within the person _before_ the particle accelerator explosion."

"Exactly," Caitlin agreed.

Ronnie's eyebrows furrowed together. "You actually got that?" He asked. "I've had this guy in my head for ages and I still don't understand half of what he says."

"I assure you that I am very articulate," Professor Stein defended himself.

"If by articulate you mean you go off on tangents, then you're right."

"Excuse me Ronald—"

"—Ronnie!"

"—But we would've died out there if it weren't for me running my…our… _your_ body. You think you could continue to live off of nothing but pizza and beer? I know you were a frat boy once but that's not the sort of diet that was needed to upkeep our… _your_ body if it was altered by metahuman powers."

Ronnie started to say something else but then cut himself off and Caitlin knew the reason why. They had been in such close proximity for a long time, being able to take time outside of the laboratories—as Hartley had correctly deduced—had made it easier for them to understand their fate within their new home. Their time together had been everything she had been waiting for.

It was perfect.

She listened as Ronnie and Professor Stein bickered with each other, a half smile on her face. She and Ronnie used to bicker the same way, when he was trying to push her to do new things and she tried to make him organized and more of a forward thinker. It was nice to see how much had managed to remain the same while things had changed around them.

"So how long do you think Siskel and Ebert going to keep this up?" Cisco asked, coming to Caitlin's side. He grinned as he watched the two, not waiting for Caitlin's answer. "I can't wait to see what these guys can real do now that we've got their powers under control. And just think of how helpful they're going to be in terms of the new metas we're bound to come across. We already know they can fly, but is it really flying or their jet propulsion because of their flames and how much around them can their flames burn."

"Well, _technically_ it isn't really fire," Caitlin reminded him. "Rather than the heat of their nuclear energy." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "But I get your point Cisco."

"You must be really excited for him to be back," Cisco remarked, reaching up his arm and put it around Caitlin's shoulders.

"Yeah, I am."

She could've said something about Harrison but didn't. Cisco couldn't said something about Harrison but didn't. And that really helped. But she couldn't ignore it forever.

"Hey, I've got something I need to check out for a minute," She said to him. "Make sure these guys don't kill each other by the time I get back. Feel free to use that new serum I invented if you'd like." She laughed at Cisco's gleeful smile and almost girlish shriek before she left the pipeline. Caitlin gave herself a pep talk as she went up to the cortex and still found that she didn't entirely know what she was going to say.

"Dr. Wells?" Her voice echoed along the Cortex as she looked around. "Dr. Wells? There's something I want to speak with you about." Still receiving no answer, Caitlin walked to his office and knocked on the door before going in. He wasn't in there, either.

She started to leave the room then stopped, realizing something that made her blood run cold. Something that made her wonder if her secrete keeping made her as bad as the man she was looking for.

He left his wheelchair behind.

...

..

.

Cadence pulled back her hair and focused on warming the palms of her hands. As she pulled the strands of hair through her hands, with the heat, they became straightened before falling around her shoulders perfectly. She looked up as there was a knock on the door and before she could call out for Brady to get it, she could hear his rapid footsteps across the wood floor before yelling, 'I'll get it', as he flew by her bedroom door.

Chuckling to herself, Cadence slipped on her shoes and walked to the door after him. Brady stood on his tip-toes to look through the peephole then grabbed the doorknob, pulling it open. "You're late," he said before Barry could say anything. "You're not supposed to be late for your first date." He looked back at Cadence as if making sure he had said the right thing and Cadence did nothing but laugh louder.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Barry apologized, taking a few long strides through the front door.

"For someone who heralds himself as being the fastest man alive, you move incredibly slowly," Cadence remarked.

Barry nodded once, holding up his hand defensively. "I know. I've had a long day and I just went to go visit my Dad and there were some things we needed to talk about. I'm sorry. "He pulled his other hand out from behind his back to reveal a slight droopy rose. Apparently it couldn't withstand Barry's speed on the way here. "I thought about bringing you more but I thought that would've been, I don't know, a bit desperate. And now looking at this pathetic one maybe I should've gone with the bigger bouquet."

"No, Tholly, that's okay," Cadence reassured him. She reached out to take the flower but Brady got to it first. He plucked it out of Barry's hand and twisted it back and forth as he examined it before handing it over to Cadence. "Thank you," she said. Then she blinked and tilted her head to the side, shifting her gaze to Barry. "You used the front door," She pointed out.

"I, what?" Barry twisted around and looked back at the door then at her again. "Oh! Right. Well, I was thinking that since this was an official date and everything that I would do the right thing and pick up through the front door."

"I think picking someone up generally means that you use a car to do it. And you don't drive."

"I'm the fastest man alive, I don't need a car."

"Oh yeah?" Cadence's eyes flashed as she crossed her arms. "How'd your driver's test go? You got a license?"

"It went fine," Barry defended himself. He shuffled his feet. "After the second try. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, just one thing." Lifting her finger, Cadence turned and pressed it into the tip of Brady's nose, pushing it flat. "Cisco will be here in about ten minutes. What are the cardinal rules?"

Brady sighed heavily, rolling his eyes. Then he started to count off on his fingers. "Be on my best behavior. Go to bed no later than ten. No cooking unsupervised. No prank calls. Not too much junk food."

"And?"

"And 'no means no'. Especially when a girl tells you that."

"You got it." Cadence then leaned down and gave Brady a slew of noisy kisses on the cheek as he made sounds of disgust and squirmed to get out of her grasp. "Oh, I'm just waiting for the day when you're begging for my attention. Chances are that's going to happen the next time you get sick." She ruffled his hair and pushed him away. "Okay, we're leaving now."

"Wait!" Brady leaned over and picked up his iPad. "Aren't you going to take a picture?" He jumped onto the couch and held up the iPad, turning it this way and that so that he was able to get a good shot then waited expectantly for his mother and friend to get into a pose.

Cadence shot Barry an embarrassed glance and he shrugged and smiled easily, moving to her side. "It's been a while, but I feel like I'm about to go off to prom," he commented.

"Huh." Cadence twisted her mouth to the side. "I never got the chance to go to prom."

"Really?"

"No."

Brady made an impatient sound with his voice. "Okay, you could stand a little closer," he commented, staring at the two on his screen. "At least _act_ like you like each other." He paused. "I mean, you don't have to kiss or anything, that's gross."

"Well, since you never went to prom…" Barry bent down and to Cadence's surprise he lifted her up into his arms with ease. Cadence grabbed him around the neck to steady herself before smiling widely for Brady to take the picture.

"There we go!" Brady smiled as the sound of a camera shutter went off. He set the iPad aside and jumped up, tucking his legs under him and flopped down to the couch. "I'm thinking Christmas Card."

"Okay, _now_ we have to go." Cadence waited for Barry to lower her back to the floor and kissed Brady on the forehead in goodbye then followed Barry out the front door. "I'm sorry about that," she apologized again. "Brady's just… _really_ excited to know that we're going out."

"Don't be. I'm excited to. Especially to see the look on your face when you see where I'm taking you." Cadence eyed him warily; unsure of what the massive grin on his face was for. It was as if he had just opened up the best Christmas present, but he was the one that already knew about it. Before she could even ask or guess what it was, Barry took her hand and raced the two of them to what looked like an unfamiliar and unexciting building.

Barry's smile only widened when Cadence gave him a confused look and he tightened his grip on her hand, walking her into the building. Then her eyes widened when she got sight of the gymnastics equipment set up around the facility. Everything from uneven bars to a pummel horse to rings, to trampolines, and a spring-loaded tumbling floor greeted her.

"What…?" She started to ask.

"Well…" Barry took his time saying the world, allowing it to curl over his tongue as he did so. Cadence reached out and shoved him on the chest and he took a step back, laughing. "You talk about being a cheerleader a lot and I can tell you miss it. Or at least being able to practice gymnastics and it's in your fighting style. When we went to the circus for Brady's birthday I could see, for the part that we got to see, that you really did miss it. So, I thought why not have a gymnastics date?"

"What do you want me to do? Dress up in a cheerleading uniform and do a special cheer for you?" She teased.

A blush came to Barry's cheeks. "No," he said, barely stuttering over the word.

 _Liar,_ Cadence thought. _He's already forgotten I can tell when he lies._ But that was something she found endearing about him as well. He really didn't like to be embarrassed and she was certainly having a lot of fun pushing his buttons whenever the time came.

Barry rushed to get the rest out before Cadence could tease him ore. "I know it's not something that you usually do on a date but I thought it would be different."

"It definitely _is_ different," Cadence agreed. Then she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Barry's neck. "But that's really sweet, Tholly. Thank you." She stood on her tip-toes and kissed him with everything she had in her. When she pulled back her face was alight with excitement. "I'm not really dressed for the occasion but it'll be fun."

"I mean, it doesn't look too hard, either," Barry remarked.

Cadence raised an eyebrow as she took off her shoes and rolled up the legs of her jeans. "You want to try?" She motioned towards the uneven bars. "I mean, I know the salmon ladder was something you mastered in a few seconds…" she took a step back.

Barry looked at her, momentarily looking as if he had made a mistake, and then did the same as Cadence had. He took off his shoes and rolled up his jeans before walking over to the uneven bar. He stretched his arms in front of him and behind his back, then over his head before grabbing onto the bar. Lifting his feet off the ground Barry's momentum swung him forward. Once his legs were clear of the floor he used his speed to start shooting back and forth across the uneven bars with Cadence frantically trying to keep up with his blur.

Then she winced as there was a cry of surprise then a loud slam when Barry fell face first onto the mat. She hurried over as Barry rolled onto his side, hands over his nose. He blinked a few times as she stood over him, and his eyes focused once more. "Okay, that wasn't as easy as I thought it would be," he said.

Finally, Cadence started to laugh. "Sorry, but you hit the floor hard." She continued to giggle at Barry's pain. "I mean, you really bit it."

"I got that the first time, Cade, thanks," Barry said. He took Cadence's outstretched hand and sat up. "I don't know how anyone can do that."

"Unfortunately, your speed beat you on that one," Cadence commented. She nodded towards the uneven bars. "The point, while you're up there, is to focus on your next move and on the landing or else you'll get too ahead of yourself."

"Let's see you try it then," Barry suggested. He ducked his head, moving away from the uneven bars to safety. She didn't hear any challenge in his voice rather than sincere curiosity. Cadence shrugged and stood in front of the lowest of the uneven bar.

For a minute she closed her eyes and flashed back to when she had practiced day after day just to be ready for cheerleading camps. Then she took in a deep breath, held it for a moment, and let it out once more. Opening her eyes, Cadence took a leap forward and grabbed onto the bar. She lifted herself up so that her body was completely vertical, toes pointing towards the ceiling, and then swung back down again. Once she had enough momentum she let go at the apex of her swing and grabbed onto the higher of the bars, using that to spin herself again.

For a few minutes she went back and forth on the uneven bars, flipping and twisting through the air as she grabbed each one. Then she dismounted off the higher bar, after two consecutive swings, and then landed on the mat in a sloppy stop, nearly falling over.

She dusted off her hands, frowning. "I'm a little rusty, but that was fun."

"You're too modest," Barry accused.

"Actually, that was my worst event, I was better at trampoline. It was more fun." Cadence sighed and sat down next to him, crossing her legs. "I wasn't pushed so hard with that because with trampoline all you're trying to do is impress your friends with whatever flips you can do. Everything else…" she trailed off. "Wow, I can't believe how much I actually missed this."

Barry looked pleased. "So you're having fun?"

Cadence reached out with her foot and lightly nudged his chest. "I always have fun when I'm with you, Barry." She reached out and took his hands in hers. "And I promise I'm going to have to make things up to you on our next date."

He looked at her warily. "Why?"

"Because I'm going to stretch some muscles that you probably haven't used in a long time."

With that, Cadence dragged Barry off the ground and for the next hour helped teach him how to use each of the pieces of equipment around the training facility. She winced and tried not to laugh every time he hit the ground. Though to her surprise he took to the pummel horse with relative ease, looking as if he had been born to participate in the event, swinging his legs around as he focused on the piece of equipment below him.

The balance beam came up last and Barry quickly backed out of trying it, stating that his feet were too wide to keep himself perfectly balanced on it. Cadence then took to it, doing a few spins and turns, hoping to keep her balance up as she did so. With her arms stretched out to her sides she took a breath and in a snap movement, brought her arms in tightly and flipped backwards at the same time; pushing herself into a corkscrew flip. But when she landed she took too long to spread her arms out and lost her balance. Cadence tipped to the side and her legs crossed and she fell towards the floor.

Barry zipped to her side off the floor and caught her before she fell, but the force of her fall knocked them both to the ground. The two laughed, pushing themselves up into a sitting position. Barry smiled at her and reached out, brushing her hair back from her face before leaning in and giving Cadence a kiss.

Cadence grasped Barry's shoulder and pulled him closer to her, tilting her head as they kissed again. Barry lowered his hand and rested them on Cadence's neck, gently rubbing the skin and sent a cool shiver down her spine.

All of a sudden there was a rush of air that blasted between them. Cadence felt a hand on her chest shove her backwards while Barry was flung across the gym, landing on a practice mat. Then the two turned at the sound of rapid vibrations and looked up to see the Reverse-Flash standing in the corner of the gym.

A tense thickness filled the air, immediately erasing the easygoing one that had been there seconds before.

"Sorry to cut things a little short," The Reverse-Flash said. "But I thought you were starting to forget what I looked like."

"I'll never forget," Barry said through gritted teeth. He took a step forward. "You had your chance to kill me before and you didn't take it. What do you want? Why now?"

"To know the answer to that, Flash, you'll have to catch me."

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for the wait on the chapter. For those that are enjoying all of the BarryCade moments, check out _Sparks Fly_ which is a story that focuses entirely (as well as having a metahuman plot) that focuses on it.

There are a lot of things I want to show with a lot of people before this story ends so I hope you guys aren't too worried about the pacing of some things. I promise I'm doing my best to get to them all and I can't wait for you to see what happens. That being said, what I had planned for Ryder had to be shifted to the next chapter because of how long some scenes went as well as other things that ended up coming in a bit sooner.

So let me know what you liked about the chapter. Was there anything you were confused by?

 **-Riles**


	30. Temperature's Rising

**.:30:.**

* * *

Barry and Cadence glanced at each other for a second before launching themselves towards the Reverse-Flash, reaching him at the same time. Cadence flung a ball of fire towards him as Barry moved around the back to send a series of punches to him. But as was true to the Reverse-Flash, he turned and sped out of the gym seconds before they could reach him. Cadence's attack barely missed Barry, singing his arm as he came to a stop and bent out of the way to keep himself from receiving the attack directly to the face.

Cadence was stunned.

The Reverse-Flash had moved much quicker than she had remembered. And he certainly was moving much faster than Barry had ever been able to move before. She exchanged another glance with Barry and the two were immediately out of the gym, racing after the red lightning that streaked around a nearby corner. Barry ran as fast as he could, sticking right behind the Reverse-Flash, pumping his arms and legs as fast as they could go with Cadence running beside him, teleporting a few steps ahead every now and then to keep up.

Anticipating Reverse-Flash's next turn, she teleported ahead of him and slammed her foot to the ground. The ground started to crack open, allowing an orange glow to rise up from underneath. Then a flaming rock shot out of the ground and rocketed through the air. At the same time a car nearby burst into flames, sending a wave of heat through the street. She lifted her right hand and split the flaming rock into two even pieces. As the Reverse-Flash blew around the corner, she hurled the flaming balls towards him. One hit him in the chest, knocking him backwards into Barry, the other flew overhead.

Watching as it hurtled towards an office building, Cadence curled her fingers into her hand and the fireball imploded, sending dust raining down to the ground. Barry grabbed the Reverse-Flash by the shoulder and with the force of speed the Reverse-Flash was going; it spun the two of them around. Lightning flashes burst back and forth across the street as Barry and the Reverse-Flash attacked each other. They were flung into the fronts of buildings and into cars, sending glass flying amongst the force of their crashes. And still they moved in a whirlwind of red and yellow, locked in an intense battle. At one point she saw Barry trying to move away but the Reverse-Flash grabbed him by the neck of his shirt and spun him around to the ground. Once landing on his back, Barry lifted his feet as the Reverse-Flash flung towards him and placed them on the speedster's chest. Lifting his feet over his head, Barry flung the Reverse-Flash with his momentum before he rolled back to his feet.

Cadence then teleported over and got into the fight as well, sending another fiery blast the Reverse-Flash's way. This time she followed it up with creating a mallet out of her flames that she swung into the Reverse-Flash, knocking him into a building wall. She and Barry traded off on the attacks to the Reverse-Flash, working in unison and seeming to read each other's mind as they took turns to land attacks on the speedster. At one point when Barry shot forward to attack him, the Reverse-Flash grabbed him around the neck and held him up, bringing him close to his face.

Barry struggled to wiggle out of the Reverse-Flash's grasp and when Cadence leapt forward to help she was strong-armed out of the way, landing on the ground and skidding into a roll. It happened once more as she came to attack him, almost as if she was a pesky fly he couldn't be bothered with. This time, landing on the ground was a strong blow that took her longer to recover from.

"By now I would hope that you would have learned that you can't beat me," Reverse-Flash growled. He looked up as a shadow suddenly shot by and there was a gust of wind that followed it. Barry's eyes shifted to the side and Cadence followed his gaze to see a black shadow dart by before it stopped by Barry's side.

From where she was, she could see Barry's eyes widen in fear and shift over to the black figure that was by her side. She got to her feet and stared at what looked like to be a Black Flash; its body was a mixture of gray and green and appeared to be zombified as it hovered by Barry's side. "What is that?"

"I see the Black Flash has been around for a while," Reverse-Flash drawled. "I can see it from the fear in your eyes. I assume that you know what he stands for; your death is coming sooner than you think, Flash." Barry reached up his hand and grabbed onto Reverse-Flash's, trying to pry it from around his neck. But froze when the evil speedster continued with, "Or maybe the death of someone else that's close to you? You don't have much family left, what else can be taken away from you."

He lifted his right hand and it vibrated over his head. "Or else maybe I should end you now, do what it is I've always wanted to do." Something clicked with Barry and his eyes flashed with something Cadence couldn't place. "But I can't do that yet, you're the key for me to get what I want. And I have no problems doing what I have to get my way."

With that, he flung Barry hard to the ground and turned to the Black Flash. "I haven't seen you around in a long time, I'm glad to know you've set your sights on this Flash. It means I'm doing exactly what I should be doing." He turned back to Barry. "You've caused me a lot of pain and now you're going to know exactly how that pain feels."

Cadence gritted her teeth and focused on the power inside her. Her eyes blazed with an inner fire that ignited throughout her body. Her hands burst into flames and the flames continued to lick up her arms until it wrapped around her entire body. Concentrating hard, she spun her arms in a wide arc and the flames continued to swirl around her until she became encircled in a massive fireball which she then sent flying outwards with a quick flick of her hands, followed up by a wave of hot air.

The blast caught the Reverse-Flash off guard and sent him and the Black Flash flying headfirst into the office building nearby. She turned to the side and jumped onto the hood of a car and used it as a spring board to launch herself up to the area the Reverse-Flash had gone. She brought her hands together, wrapping her fingers around as if holding onto a gun. The veins along her arms started to glow until the glow focused at her fingertips where a blast of fire shot out as if she had fired a gun. It struck the Reverse-Flash once more.

Barry appeared at her side, watching the Reverse-Flash as he lay prone on the ground.

"How'd you…?" Barry started.

"I don't know," Cadence replied, slightly out of breath. Her last two attacks had taken more out of her than she thought. Having been able to push past her plateau and have more abilities made her feel weaker than when she had first started to learn how to control her powers. "I've never been able to do that before."

Barry turned back to the Reverse-Flash, taking a step towards him. His eyes stayed locked on the Reverse-Flash and he continued to take small, almost timid steps towards him, hesitating once he got to his side. Cadence held her breath as she watched Barry mover closer and closer to the Reverse-Flash. They finally had him; she had managed to do what the Assassination Bureau had tasked her to do without things going so wrong. And yet she couldn't say anything yet, she needed for them to know they had him and to see him for himself before…

All of a sudden the Reverse-Flash got back to his feet and rush by the two so fast there was a gust of wind that ripped at their clothes. Cadence immediately knew what was going to happen. She had studied and observed different weather patterns and how it affected her powers and wind was something that severely worked against her—along with water and ice. Though there were also times wind could help her, in the instance that a sudden increase of oxygen would allow the flames she produced to increase in size and power. This time, however, the back draft would be stronger due to the amount of speed the Reverse-Flash exhibited as well as the large opening in the window behind them.

Cadence reached to the side and grabbed onto Barry just as the wind increased in strength and knocked them backwards out the window. They only fell for a few seconds, long enough for Cadence to gather her bearings before she teleported to cut down the height of their fall. When they re-appeared it was a few feet of the ground and they crashed into it with accompanying grunts.

Barry nodded his thanks to Cadence then rolled to his knees and pulled out his cell phone, quickly calling Cisco, Caitlin, and Harrison on a group phone call. "Guys, we've got a problem," he said into the phone. "The Reverse-Flash has come back around again. Can you get a lock on him?"

"I'm not at STAR Labs," Caitlin replied. "Ronnie and I are out."

"Yeah, I'm still sort of tied up, too. I'm still here with Brady," Cisco replied. He then paused. "Actually, I'm quite literally tied up."

"Don't worry, I can get to STAR Labs in a few minutes," Caitlin said, sounding extremely concerned and under pressure. Cadence was sure she was pacing back and forth and chewing her lower lip as she always did when she was worried or brooding about something. "We can track him to see where he's going."

"There's no need Dr. Snow," Harrison said calmly. "Our security measures pinged in on him as soon as he popped up again and judging by the markers we have. He seems to be headed towards a specific target. Considering he stopped where you were and had stated a game of cat and mouse, he wants you to follow him there."

"Well where is it? Where's he going?" Barry demanded.

There was a moment of silence before Harrison said, "He's at Iron Heights."

"Iron Heights?" Cadence repeated. "What's at Iron Heights?"

Barry paled. "My Dad," he replied. He took off running as far as he could with Cadence following him, the two making it to the prison within a few seconds. Barry skidded to a stop, chest heaving with the effort of his running, and found the Reverse-Flash standing in his father's cell, holding the man up by the collar of his shirt. Barry swallowed hard, staying back in the shadows.

Cadence looked at him, knowing he was trying to figure out whether or not to risk working his way into the cell and revealing his identity to his father or stay back and watch as his father got hurt. It was then Cadence's eyebrows furrowed together. She took a step closer to Barry's side and grasped his wrist. "How'd they get in there?" She murmured. "The gate is closed."

"You see, that's the thing about being as strong and fast as I am," Reverse-Flash commented. "I've learned to adapt to all of my abilities. You'll never catch me, Flash. It's too bad that you had to continue to be beaten before you figured that out yourself." He lifted his hand again, and it vibrated rapidly as he did so. "Now I'll have you feel the pain that you've ever made me feel."

"What have I ever done to you?" Barry demanded, practically screaming at the top of his lungs. His voice echoed up and down the hallway and it was then Cadence realized how empty it was. The Reverse-Flash must've done something to them, hauled them off and locked them into one area, before having gone after Barry's father.

"It isn't something that you've done yet, but what you're going to do. And I can't have that happen. Say goodbye to everything you love…" With that, the Reverse-Flash started to lower his hand down towards Barry's father's chest.

Everything that happened next seemed to happen within only a few seconds, but was actually a couple of minutes. There was a sudden blinding flash—a flash of light as bright as the sun on a snow day—that made the darkness of the cells brighten up as if the sun had just risen. The Reverse-Flash cried out and covered his eyes, stumbling backwards into the corner of the room. Barry disappeared from the cell, leaving small bolts of yellow behind him as he turned down the hall. Then he was suddenly back at her side, rocketing forward with a strong punch to the bars of his cell.

The bars that held the Reverse-Flash and Henry inside the cell broke inwards and Barry stopped his forward momentum by slamming into the Reverse-Flash as she did so. With that, Cadence leapt into the cell and grabbed onto Henry Allen in a bear hug and teleported out of Iron Heights. They arrived at the park, coming to a stop so sudden that Henry stumbled a little bit.

"Wow, if only I could do. It'd certainly save a lot of time when it comes to traveling," Henry remarked with a light chuckle. He looked over as Barry came to a stop at their side, staring at his father. Henry's eyebrow rose and a small smile slid onto his face at the arrival. "So I believe I have The Flash to thank."

Barry took a deep breath and stepped into the light of the streetlamp beside them. "Actually, you can just thank me."

Henry smiled and reached out, grasping the sides of Barry's face. "I always knew you were a hero, Barry. You just needed to know it yourself." Barry grinned and wrapped his arms around his father. His hug started off as a gentle squeeze then turned into a desperate hug as father and son held onto each other. He pulled back and placed his hands on Barry's face once more. "You always did look good in red." He then pulled back and turned in Cadence's direction. "So this must be…"

"Flare," Cadence explained as she took a step into the light as well. "Previously known as Flash Fire. But you can call me Cadence." She held out her hand towards him. "It's nice to finally meet you, Dr. Allen."

"Please, call me Henry." He grabbed her hand and shook it firmly before allowing Cadence to hug him as well. "And thank you, too. I'm sure Central City couldn't be what it is if it wasn't for you, and you Barry, helping keep us safe."

"We're not going to be safe much longer if the Reverse-Flash continues to stick around," Barry said, suddenly serious. "Let's get you to STAR Labs."

Cadence sucked her bottom lip into her mouth as she thought for a minute. Then a horrific thought struck her. If the Reverse-Flash had gone after Henry then there was a chance he was going to go after everyone that was close to the. He had done it before when they were all trying to deal with the Assassination Bureau and Suicide Squad; capturing everyone while they had been together. What was going to stop him from doing it now? And if he had gone after Henry, then that meant he had been watching them for a while.

 _So he's probably going to go after Ryder, too,_ Cadence though. The realization sank into her stomach with a sickening thud. He certainly wouldn't go after her parents back in Metropolis, not if the Reverse-Flash knew them enough to know her strained relationship with them. "Barry," She said with as much tension as she could muster into her voice. "I've got to go get Ryder. If Reverse-Flash figures out—"

"—I understand," Barry interrupted her. "Go. We'll see you at STAR Labs."

With that, he grabbed his father by the arm and shot off to the laboratories while Cadence went in the opposite direction, teleporting to the townhouse Ryder was renting. Once there she frantically rang the doorbell and knocked on the door as she waited for him to answer. Then her gaze shifted over to the garden out front and saw that a shovel was lying on the ground. She picked it up and dragged it back over to the front door and knocked with her free hand once more.

Finally she heard footsteps coming to the front door and Ryder answered, looking at her in surprise. "What are you doing here, Cadey?" He asked.

"To apologize," she replied.

"For what?"

With that, Cadence lifted the shovel that was in her hands and hit him across the face with it. Ryder's head turned to the side, eyes falling shut and blood starting to pour don from his nose. He slumped forward and Cadence grabbed onto him before he fell to the ground. Then she shifted him up over her shoulders with ease, and pulled the door to his townhouse shut before going to STAR Labs.

...

..

.

Cadence teleported into STAR Labs where all eyes turned to her.

"Don't ask," She said, gently placing him into an empty chair before turning to greet Brady. "Trust me when I say it's a lot easier to deal with him this way than it is to deal with a bunch of questions." She didn't add that it felt good to be able to let go of some of the aggression she still had towards him for how he had left so long ago. That might've gone without saying; she tried not to think about it too much.

Tried not to dwell.

But sometimes things became too difficult to ignore.

Reaching out, she pressed her hand against Ryder's face to start healing him before turning her attention to the others. "Do you still have a lock on the Reverse-Flash?" she asked.

Harrison, who sat at a computer, shook his head. "Since you got Dr. Allen out of Iron Heights I haven't seen any sign of him. None of the security programs we have in place has been able to place a lock on him. Seems like he's left Central City for now." He turned his wheelchair around. "But I applaud your decision, Cadence, to bring Ryder here. It appears that the Reverse-Flash is stepping up his tactics in terms of, quite literally, hitting us where it hurts."

"But is it wise for more people to know about our secret?" Caitlin pointed out. "I mean, the more people that know the harder it's going to be for us to keep everyone safe." She ran a hand through her hair and motioned over towards the room that Ronnie and Professor Stein stayed in. "They can't even go home because of what's going on. And I don't want the same things to happen with Dr. Allen or Ryder."

"It's not like its any _big_ problem," Cisco said without thinking. "I mean, it's not like Barry's dad is going to…" he trailed off, realizing his mistake when Barry and Henry both turned to him with raised eyebrows. "I mean…I didn't…well…" He crossed his arms, sticking his hands into his armpits. "I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry about it, Cisco, he knew what you meant," Barry reassured him. He stood across the floor of the cortex, looking into the holding area that had his suit. "And right now we don't have a choice for who does and doesn't know at the moment. The Reverse-Flash went into Iron Heights to get to dad and I don't even know how he did that."

Henry cleared his throat, placing his hands on his hips. "He sort of…walked through the wall," he explained. "Not the wall exactly, but the iron bars. One minute I'm lying on my bed reading the newspaper and the next thing I know a man completely dressed in yellow came waltzing through the bars almost as if he—"

"—almost as if he phased?" Harrison broke in. He turned towards Brady and folded his hands in his lap, nodding his head over towards Henry. "Could you show Dr. Allen your power, Brady?"

"Okay." Brady pressed his finger to his chin as he looked around the cortex, then he walked over to Cisco. "Hold out your hands please."Cisco did as he was told and Brady frowned in concentration as he stood at Cisco's side. Then he extended his arm as if to rest it on Cisco's hands and lowered it down. Brady's arm moved through Cisco's hands over and over as he waved it up and down, and then went as far as to move it through Cisco's shoulder.

Cisco flinched and backed away from Brady as soon as he did so, bringing a hand up to his chest. Caitlin was immediately at his side. He looked up at her and gave a reassuring smile. "It's kind of creepy," he explained. "Thinking that he could put his hand through me whenever he wanted…" He trailed off and turned to his computer as Caitlin watched him.

Across the floor of the cortex, Barry looked up as Henry walked over to him. Barry smiled at his father, trying to look at him as long as he could before needing to blink. It was real. His father was really there this time. Henry smiled back at him for a long moment then finally asked. "So tell me what does it feel like to be able to run down the street like a bat out of hell?"

Barry laughed. From the look on his face he seemed to have expected another question or tell him again that he had to be careful and that he was very proud of him. But he hadn't expected to be asked point blank about his abilities as if he had been asked about his science experiments and homework. "There's no feeling like it."

"I bet. Being able to move that fast…that would certainly be something I don't think I'd take for granted," Henry remarked. "Then again, with how slowly time passes in prison I think I'd be one of the few people that wouldn't mind sitting in the DMV for a line that only holds two people if I have to."

"Yeah, well, with my powers you can get in and out of the DMV in about two seconds," Barry replied. He shrugged. "I don't even need a car either."

"I can't say I'm too excited to have missed being able to teach you how to drive. Though from what Joe said, it might've been good that I _did_ miss it." Barry's eyes widened in surprise then lowered in embarrassed worry as Henry chuckled. "I'm sorry, Barry, but sometimes you have to learn to relax. I think Old Lady Newman would agree considering you took out her bushes of roses."

"That was an accident," Barry defended himself. "And if she has some rose bushes that she was so protective over, why put it so close to the street when anyone can drive in after trying to avoid running over a squirrel."

"Tell that to your mother."

"You've got a point."

Cadence smiled as she watched Henry and Barry interact with each other. Being able to see his father outside of jail was something Barry clearly wanted and strived for; devoting his work with the CCPD and his work as The Flash to figuring out the true killer of his mother. It was great to see the two of them being able to reunite. And at the same time she felt very envious of him. Here he was with a loving relationship with his father and she was still getting to know her birth father and couldn't stand her birth parents with the father of her son suddenly coming back into her life.

It was enough to drive her crazy sometimes. She turned her attention back to Ryder and removed her hand from his face as his eyes started to flutter. Finally, they opened and his eyes turned in her direction before darting around STAR Labs. He sat up and continued to look around as Cadence brought her hands up.

"Don't panic," she said to him. "You're safe. You're here in STAR Labs with me and my friends." He looked back at her, blue eyes narrowing slightly, searching hers with them. "You're going to be safe here."

"Safe from what?" He asked. "A metahuman?"

"Yes. Sort of." She continued to hold her hands up as she looked at her friends. Her eyes landed on Harrison and he gave her a nod. "The Reverse-Flash. It's a bit of a long story." He started to open his mouth to ask how he had gotten there but Cadence beat him to it. "I'm sorry I hit you in the face with a shovel," she said."But it was the easiest way to get you here, to stay calm, so you didn't freak out." Her eyes shifted. "And while I'm at it, I'm sorry I almost burnt down your room."

Now Ryder's eyes narrowed even further. But this time his nose wrinkled as it always did when he was confused. "Almost burnt my room down?" He repeated. "When did you almost burn my room down?

Cadence gave him a pointed look, and then looked away as Cisco coughed something that sounded like 'awkward' into his fist.

Then he understood. "Oh. Oh! Wait…that was you? How…?" he trailed off as Cadence held up a hand with a fireball floating above it. His eyes slowly started to widen. "You…you're a metahuman? But, how-?"

"I'll explain later, I promise. But right now we need you to promise that you're not going to tell anyone else."

"We?" Ryder repeated.

Brady took a breath as he walked over to his father and made a show of moving his hand through his mother's arm. Then he looked over at Barry, who watched the three. "We," he agreed. "I'm a metahuman, too. And so is, Barry. He's The Flash."

"The Fla…" Ryder trailed off, bringing his hands up to his forehead. "The Flash. So that makes you Flash Fire."

"Flare, actually," Cadence corrected him. She tried not to look over at Cisco, who undoubtedly was giving her a pointed smile after all of the grief she gave him to have her metahuman name changed. "But yes, I am."

"I don't get it—"

"I'm sure there are a lot of things about this that are confusing to you Ryder," Harrison said, moving his wheelchair over to him. He stared directly at Ryder. "What's important right now is that you agree to keep this secret for us and for you to understand that, for now, you're here for your own safety. The Reverse-Flash, as we have mentioned before, we have reason to believe that because of your relationship with Cadence—Flare—that he would soon go after you."

"And I'll be safe here?" Ryder asked.

A smile came to Harrison's lips. "I promise you that you'll be safe here and that you can go back in the morning when we're sure the Reverse-Flash isn't still moving around Central City." He cleared his throat. "As unfortunate as it was when he showed up, The Flash and Flare are here to make sure that everyone is safe."

"Because they're heroes," Brady piped up.

"Actually, you're all heroes in my book," Henry broke in. He walked over to Harrison with an outstretched hand, a sincere expression on his face. "Especially you Dr. Wells. Thank you for everything that you've done for my son."

Harrison eyed Henry's hand for a long moment before reaching out and pressing his firmly into Henry's. Then he said, "Your son is an extraordinary man, Dr. Allen." He tightened his grip on Henry's hand. "And I will do _everything_ in my power to ensure Barry's future."

"Thank you." Henry placed his hand atop Harrison's and shook it again.

"It's my pleasure."

Brady looked over at Cadence and then walked over to Henry, gently tapped him on the side. Henry chuckled and turned towards the nine-year-old boy, waiting patiently. "Mr. Allen—"

"Dr." Cadence corrected.

"Can I—"

"May I,"

Brady huffed and rolled his eyes at being corrected so many times. " _May_ I ask you a question?"

"You can ask me anything you want, Brady."

Cadence exchanged a glance with Barry and smiled nervously at Henry. "Oh, I wouldn't have said that. Brady can get _very_ inquisitive and next thing you know you're in an interrogation." She winced at her own choice of words. "Sorry."

"Again, you don't need to apologize. I've been in long enough to find some humor in the situation when the time comes." He then grabbed onto Brady's shoulders and kneeled down in front of him. "And don't ever apologize for being inquisitive. It's one of the best qualities anyone can have. You learn when you ask questions. All of us here, us scientists and doctors, we wouldn't be where we are if we weren't asking questions."

Brady nodded then pursed his lips for a minute. "Were you _really_ in jail?"

Cadence pressed her hand to her forehead as a wave of embarrassment went through her. She peeked through her fingers to find Henry was smiling just as much as he was before and didn't seem offended by the question.

"Yes, I really was in jail," he replied. Then he frowned, eyebrows coming together. "As a matter of fact, I might be in some trouble considering I left. I'm sure now that the—you call him the Reverse-Flash?"

"Exactly. He's got Barry's speed but he's just plain evil," Cisco agreed. He snapped his fingers. "Kind of like Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort but as far as we can tell the Reverse-Flash actually has a nose and Barry doesn't have a scar or any cool powers."

Caitlin raised an eyebrow.

"I mean any cool _magic_ powers. You have to keep up with my pop culture references, Caitlin."

"And you're a doctor?" Brady continued.

Now Henry hesitated for a minute. "I _was_ a doctor. When I was put in jail they took away my license and now I can't practice anymore."

"But when you're found innocent you can get back into your work again," Barry insisted. Cadence watched Henry's face as he nodded. There was nothing but pride in his eyes, he really was proud of everything Barry was doing for him, and yet was still a parent; was still worried.

"My Mom used to be a doctor, too," Brady explained, tossing his head back to motion to the fire metahuman. "But then she got kicked out of residency because she was doing this." Cadence closed her eyes, knowing Ryder was looking at her now that he knew she had been fired. She had planned to tell him but wasn't sure how or when. "But now she works for the CCPD with Barry. She's Barry's girlfriend."

Barry smiled as Cadence wondered what were the chances of the ground swallowing her up. "When did that happen?"

"That's exactly what _I_ want to know," Cisco added. "I'm the one that's here for the comic relief, for the entertainment, to bring you guys some happiness after you're out there risking your lives on the field and no one tells me when there's been a relationship upgrade? Don't you know you have to run it by me before you make it Facebook official? Mm-mm, I don't play that!"

"I didn't say that," Cadence said quickly.

Now Brady frowned as he turned around and blinked up at his mother. "Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't." She grabbed his arm and pushed him over towards Ryder. "Why don't you go ask him a bunch of questions now?" A light burst of laughter worked through the room, releasing the tension that had previously filled it due to the fear of the Reverse-Flash coming to STAR Labs for them. But Harrison, Caitlin, and Cisco turned back to their computer monitors as Henry continued to look around the cortex in awe.

"I'll be there in a minute, dad," Barry called to him before walking over to Cadence. "My girlfriend, huh?"

"I never said that," Cadence defended herself. "Like I said, Brady's really excited about this." She motioned back and forth between the two of them. "I'm sorry for all of the questions he asked, too. That was a little awkward."

"Not as awkward as having our date interrupted by a speedster who is hell bent on killing me and a Black Flash that apparently is the sign of my death," Barry pointed out. He took Cadence's hand and the two started to walk out of the cortex. "Other than that I had fun."

"At least we can find the sense of humor in it," Cadence agreed. "I mean, watching you flail about as you continued to fall off each and every contraption is probably the highlight of my life. So far, anyway. You bring a great source of entertainment for me, Tholly."

"I'm glad I can do that for you."

"And it's cool that you're able to see you dad again, even if it's only for a little while," Cadence added. "You must be excited."

Barry sighed, turning his gaze to the ground for a second. "Yeah, but…I can't believe that we lost the Reverse-Flash. He was just there and we could've had him and turned him into the police for real. And dad would be free right now."

"We're going to get him, Barry, don't worry." _We have to,_ Cadence mentally added. "This guy may be faster than you right now, but he's not better than you. If he wanted to kill you he would've done it by now. And that gives us time to figure out a plan to capture him. An improved plan over the one we had last time."

Barry didn't look convinced. "If it works."

"Well that's how we're different, Barry," Cadence pointed out with a half smile. "I have a lot of confidence in what you and me and the others can do. But I don't have a lot of faith in myself…and you have a lot of faith in yourself but not a lot of confidence."

"I guess we're just two peas in a pod then." Barry managed a small smile.

"I guess so. I don't know anyone else I'd want to be in a pod with."

Barry squeezed her hand and leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. They continued walking a few steps further and Barry's smile slowly faded until he was practically glaring. Cadence noticed and tugged on his hand, pulling him around so that his back rested on the wall behind them and stood in front of him. She searched his eyes with hers.

"What's going on? You should be bouncing off the walls with what's going on, but you look like you've just lost your best friend."

"I'm just so tired of always being so close to everything and then having it ripped away from me. I was close to solving my Mom's murder but then—"Barry swiftly cut himself off as he looked into Cadence's eyes. "And then this happens," he finally explained. "It's just frustrating."

"I get that, believe me my life is anything _but_ frustrating at the moment," Cadence said with a light roll of her eyes. She then noticed the way Barry's jaw tightened and he looked away from her. He dropped his hand from hers and crossed his arms. "What?"

"Nothing," Barry replied quickly. He brought his hands through his hair before resting them on his head. "It's just…you can be really selfish sometimes, Cade." The force behind his words made Cadence take a step back from him. "No, not selfish…self-involved. Self-centered. It's like you can't ever think about anyone else if it has nothing to do with you. You're throwing away your friendship with Caitlin because _you_ were hurt when you can't understand that _she_ was hurting too. You're hurting your parents because they hurt you first. You hurt Brady because Ryder hurt you first." His eyes flashed and he lowered his voice, realizing it had risen with each word. "Not everything is about you. If I had the chance to see my parents again, to see them together, I'd give everything for that. But I can't. You have that option every day and you just…piss on it and bitch and moan about it. You're willing to take Harrison back into your life so why can't you do it with them? Why does everything have to be about you?"

Cadence's jaw dropped for a second then she lowered her head. A thick, warm feeling rose into her chest and settled somewhere between there and her throat. Swallowing hard, she tried to push the lump away but found it increase in size before feeling warm. She was going to cry, she knew it. That was what always happened and if she let her emotion get the best of her then she would allow her powers to go out of control. The last thing she wanted was to lose control and accidentally burn him…or burn down STAR Labs.

Maybe it was time to finally explain everything to him, everything she had tried to keep a secret because she simply didn't know how to deal with it. Everything she thought had been the truth from such a young age had been twisted around. Then she had been told something that twisted it once more and she just wanted it to end.

 _It's not going to end if you don't say anything;_ she reminded herself, squeezing her eyes shut. Finally, she opened her eyes and looked up at Barry once more. "Look, Barry, you're right. I am self-centered. And I know it's because of what happened with my parents and living on my own for a while. Having to be so independent for a so long and taking care of Brady…" she tucked her hair behind her ears. "I know that's a bad excuse but I'm not telling you that as an excuse but as an explanation. I can be self-centered and I don't mean to be. It just…I don't react well when things don't go my way. I'm sorry that I made you angry because I haven't been very open."

Cadence's breath caught in her throat.

"And…this isn't an excuse either, but maybe it'd make sense for what's been going on." She readied herself before saying, "My dad's dying, Barry."

* * *

 **A/N:** Ronnie and Professor Stein's parts get bigger within the next chapter as well as some other plots of the show coming in along with my deviations. There are a few I'm really excited to work on and for you all to see including Tricksters, Rogues, and Grodd. Now that the Reverse-Flash has given a hint to what he wants with Barry, that can't help ease Barry's suspicions much of what is really going on. Nor Joe's for that matter.

Thanks for checking out the chapter and for being patient with me. Let me know what you think? What you liked, didn't like, were confused by. What did you think about Barry's telling Cade off and how do you think they'll move on from there? And now that Ryder and Henry know about their identities…what do you think about that?

I'll update again soon.

 **-Riles**


	31. What Happened in Metropolis

**.:31:.**

* * *

 _Cadence leaned back in her seat as she came to a stop at the red light. The last thing she would ever complain about was being able to teleport. Not only was it incredibly easy to get around by doing so, but she certainly took it for granted in terms of getting stuck in traffic._

 _And Metropolis was the worst offender for traffic. It made her miss the times she and her friends would go into Smallville on their half days or when they skipped class just to have some fun in a smaller town. There were some tensions between those in Smallville and those in Metropolis; the sports teams between the cities were rivals and always had been. And the high schoolers took that very seriously. But it had always been fun._

 _Thankfully she was able to get back into Smallville under her mother's question to get to the farmer's markets. Smallville had some of the best food imaginable and being able to take Brady this time was even better. If it wasn't for the fact he was constantly trying to sneak his hand into side the plastic bag on his lap to get at the food inside._

 _"Did you just get into the blackberries?" Cadence asked, turning from looking out the front windshield to look at her son, who quickly shot his hand to his lap._

 _"No." He shook his head but Cadence could see his other hand working to wipe away the reddish-purple splotches on the sides of his mouth. "I'm just looking."_

 _"You've been 'just looking' for the last half hour, bud."_

 _"There's not much else to look at," Brady pointed out. He turned and rested his elbows on his arm rest and his chin in his hand. "Unless you want me to stare at you like this." He laughed as Cadence reached out and pushed his face away from hers. "Can we go swimming when we get back to the house?"_

 _"Sure. That sounds like it'll be fun."_

 _"When are we going to go back to Central City?"_

 _Cadence made a face and looked at Brady for a second, pulling on the steering wheel to take a corner. The city landscape turned into houses lining the suburbs within seconds. "We haven't been here for more than a few days and you're already asking when we're going back to Central City?"_

 _"I was just wondering."_

 _"Right."_

 _"Who's that?"_

 _Cadence sighed and smiled. He certainly was someone who wanted to know everything and anything, his attention leaping from topic to topic in seconds. But this time it grabbed Cadence's attention as she leaned forward and peered out the front window at the tall brunette that walked down the driveway of her parents' house. She looked up as Cadence parked the car and their eyes locked, causing Cadence to stare for a minute before climbing out of the driver's seat._

 _"Be Fri?" She asked, just to be sure._

 _Mallory Jenkins smiled back, ending their signature greeting with, "St. End!" She reached out and gently grasped Cadence's shoulder. "It's been so long. I can't believe, when did you get back to Metropolis? Wait, I thought you moved to Central City, what are you doing here?"_

 _Cadence laughed at Mallory's rapid-fire questions. If it were possible she was sure Brady got it from her. Maybe all of the time she spent with Mallory while she was still pregnant. Before things had changed, before she had dropped out of school, before…everything. (Just so she could ignore the fact that her parents reminded her she was the same way when she was young). The fire metahuman motioned towards the house. "I'm visiting my parents."_

 _Mallory's eyebrows rose in surprise. "I was under the assumption you weren't very…"_

 _"We're not. But some things have happened and we're trying to work things out." If 'working things out' meant she confronted her parents about Harrison and Tess being her birth parents, that she was adopted, and that she finally forgave them for the decisions they made but wouldn't forget it, then yeah. They were working things out. "But enough about me, what's been going on with you? What are you doing here?"_

 _"Oh, I'm working in advertising now," Mallory explained. She smiled and tucked her hair behind her ears. "Yeah, I know, I was on the fast track to take over my parents' publishing business but that wasn't what I wanted. Come to find out I can be really creative."_

 _"You always were; art and drama were your best subjects." Cadence grinned, starting to laugh as she remembered their time in high school together. They were absolutely best friends and did everything together; partnering up on projects when they could, spending nights together finishing homework and hanging out, spending so much time together they were part of each other's families and barged into each other's houses with no issues. "I mean, you came up with the most creative presentations."_

 _"And you were amazing with public speaking," Mallory replied. She looked over at Brady as he continued to pace up and down the driveway, holding his arms out and balancing as he placed one foot in front of the other, as if on a high wire. "He definitely takes after you," she remarked. "Graceful."_

 _"And very talkative," Cadence agreed. All of a sudden she felt sad. This was small talk, the same sort of conversations that happened between people who were just meeting and others who didn't have an idea of what to do when meeting each other again. It just showed how much their lives had changed since high school. And reminded Cadence how much she enjoyed her life back in Central City. "Though you wouldn't know it from the way he's acting now."_

 _"You've done an amazing job with him, Cade. I always knew you would."_

 _"Thanks."_

 _Then there was an awkward silence that Cadence broke through by instructing Brady to bring the food they had bought into the house. She turned back to Mallory and said they should meet up again sometime soon, which Mallory agreed to as enthusiastically. Cadence didn't know if it would happen, but she hoped it would. If she could forgive her parents for what they had done, then she could put her own stubborn pride aside and figure out how to stay in contact with people she had lost over time._

 _"I'm going to the pool!" Brady shouted as he ran by her when she went into the house after saying goodbye to Mallory. Cadence chuckled and walked into the kitchen to find her mother putting the groceries away as carefully as possible, making sure not to chip any of her fingernails._

 _"Where's Dad?"_

 _"I think he's going to go swimming with Brady," Maya replied. She pushed her blond ringlets out of the way, using her hip to close the refrigerator door. "Which is highly opportune as that gives me time to speak with you about something."_

 _"You mean how Mallory was here earlier today?"_

 _"Oh good, you ran into her!" Maya beamed as if she had just received praise for the surprise. She certainly was someone who liked to think she did everything right. Or at least held the opinion she did. "Did you know she got into advertising? She wanted to speak to your father about his company and how to expand the one she's starting."_

 _"And you didn't tell me she was going to be here because?"_

 _"Sweetie, because I wanted to surprise you." She reached out to smooth Cadence's hair but the fire metahuman ducked her head out of the way before she could do so. Hurt, she dropped her hand. "You haven't seen each other, or anyone else in Metropolis, for a long time."_

 _"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you move away."_

 _Maya let out a deep breath and closed her eyes. She carefully pulled back a seat, lifting it so not to scratch the marble floor and daintily perched on the edge of the cushion. Cadence pulled back a seat and sat across from her mother, resting her hands on the granite counter-top, noticing that it was as clean as ever. The entire house resembled a museum or a set out of a catalogue more than a house. It had irritated her as a kid—due to strict cleaning chores—and still made her feel uneasy now._

 _"Honey, I know things have been hard between us, especially now that you know the truth about your parentage. But you really need to know that despite what's happened everyone loves you. Your father and I love you, Harrison and Tess love you, and everyone wanted you to have the life that you deserved to have."_

 _Cadence raised an eyebrow but didn't respond._

 _Maya hurried to continue the conversation. "And you've said that you forgave us for the decisions that we've made concerning your adoption as well as…our actions in having you leave the house and I wanted to explain that further. It's time that you know. And your father wanted to speak about this as well, but it's something that he's finding it very hard to speak about. It took him a long time to even admit it to me, but to say it to you is harder."_

 _"Why's that?"_

 _"Because you're his daughter and for a long time he didn't want you to think about him as anything other than perfect."_

 _Cadence couldn't help it. She laughed. Hard and loud. "That's a joke, right?"_

 _"It's not something he can help, Cadence, that's what I'm trying to explain to you." Maya steepled her fingers. "When your father was young he and his friends were in a car accident. Your father was driving, he tried to swerve out of the way of a deer that ran into the road and he overcorrected, crashing the car. Two of his friends died and he suffered some head injuries. He recovered and went on with life as usual. He only told me this a few years after we met. We got married and soon found afterwards that I was unable to have a baby, which is all either of us wanted in life. So when we heard that Harrison and Tess were giving up their baby for adoption and that they were going to let us, their friends, adopt the baby we jumped at the chance. Soon after we got you, maybe about a year, I noticed a change in your father._

 _"He wasn't as patient and kind as he used to be. Every now and he started to lash out when things didn't go his way; he worked longer hours and as hard as he could. His work life became incredibly…strong. And that seeped over into our home life where, as you noticed, things became very strict and pressured. Don't get me wrong, he loved you very much; in his eyes the sun rose and set on you and he spoiled you as much as he could. But I knew there was something wrong with him. He continued to get headaches and I asked him time and time again to go to the doctor to get things checked out."_

 _Now Cadence smiled, shaking her head. "Dad hates the doctor," she remarked._

 _"I know." Maya smiled as well, almost laughing. Then she turned serious once more. "And I didn't realize how much he did until I continued to push him and push him to go. Finally he agreed and we got tests done, only to find out that he has a brain tumor. An inoperable brain tumor. And its what was causing him to act differently, what caused him to make impulsive decisions." She reached out for Cadence's hands and held them tightly so Cadence couldn't take it back. "Of course we were disappointed when we found out you were pregnant, and your father made the irrational decision for you to leave because he was afraid of what would happen with his career. I begged him not to do it, but you have to understand I was incredibly torn. As the tumor progresses your father is going to need a lot of help and he was already starting to become belligerent and angry and…"_

 _Cadence slowly pulled her hands back into her lap and stared at her mother._

 _"I know it's not an excuse and it still doesn't really make sense—"_

 _"—He's dying isn't he?" Cadence whispered. "That's why you and Dad are so nice to me being back here." She thought of how she and her father had a nice conversation the night before about movies they had seen recently. Much like they had when they were younger and went to movies together. Things were even pleasant as they interacted. "His tumor has gotten bigger?"_

 _For a minute Maya looked normal. Cadence had only seen her mother dolled up and putting out the image of being the 'perfect mother and wife' through every avenue that was possible. But now she looked like a mother and wife that was tired, that cared a lot, that had a lot of love to give and was aware her husband wasn't going to be around much longer. She looked sad and strong all at the same time. She looked like a real person._

 _"Yes, it has. And that's why we're so glad that you're back here, so we can clear the air and spend some of the time he has left as a family instead of arguing and holding grudges."_

 _And Maya had apologized. She apologized for being so concerned with what other people thought of her instead of raising her family the way she wanted it to, she was sorry that she didn't take Kent to the hospital when he first started to show signs of changes in his personality, that she was sorry she pushed Cadence so hard and didn't stick up for her when she had gotten pregnant._

 _Cadence forgave her for that too. How could she not?_

.

..

...

Barry bent backwards out of the way as a rush of flames came towards his face. He closed his eyes, feeling the sting of the flames as they barely shot by him. Then when things rapidly cooled, he opened his eyes again to find Firestorm had backed away from him. Readying themselves to start another charge of power. He flipped himself back to his feet as Cadence sent a stream of fire back towards them, then held out her hand.

Barry grabbed onto it and she spun him in a circle before propelling him forward where he struck Firestorm directly in the chest with a flurry of electricity. Barry landed on the practice mat in a crouch as Harrison's voice came booming towards them.

"Please try not to attack the Tachyon device as we're unsure of how much power it can hold," Harrison explained. Barry stood up and wiped his hands off on his t-shirt as there was a flash of light and Firestorm separated themselves into Ronnie and Professor Stein once more. The two gasped for air with the force of their merging and demerging. "We're still testing to figure out what capacity they can stay together and apart and if we break this device, then they may go nuclear once more."

"And as cool as it may be to see if we can control a nuclear reaction like that in such a small space," Cisco started, but was then elbowed in the side by Caitlin, who gave him a stern look. "But we won't do that. What we _will_ do is say that this was the best mash up of a fight I've seen since last year's skirmish with Oliver and a whammied Barry."

"I'm sorry, whammied?" Henry looked over at Cisco in confusion, eyebrows coming together. "What does being whammied mean?"

"It means that Barry was being mean to everyone," Brady commented, chin in his hands as he watched. He leaned his head and looked up at Henry. "He told everyone I was my Mom's son when they thought I was her brother."

Barry cringed. First their date had been ruined because of the Reverse Flash and then he ruined it even further by blowing up at Cadence—which he was justified with considering he was having a happy moment being reunited with his father and she turned the conversation back to her—and calling her self-centered. And now Brady had to remind him that he had, under no will of his own, revealed her secret to their vigilante comrades.

Cadence slapped her hand to her forehead as she sighed. "Brady, why do you keep blabbing like that?"

He looked offended as he shrugged. "You told me when I meet people to be personal."

"I said _personable;_ to be nice and charming.!"

"Oh."

"Can we please get back to the subject over whether or not we'll continue to get beaten up like this?" Professor Stein asked, rubbing his wrist. He looked over at Ronnie, who glared back at him from under his fringe. "I understand that we're using _your_ body and _my_ head, but I can still feel everything you're feeling Ronald."

"Ronnie," Ronnie corrected him automatically. Then he turned towards the older man and looked at him curiously. "You can feel everything I've been feeling? When fighting."

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised," Cisco said, walking into the practice space to remove the tracking bracelets attached to the metahumans's wrists. "Cade's got the strength and Barry's got the speed. Together they make a great team. Our very own Batman and Robin."

"Yes, I just finished saying that. Young man, you really need to listen when your elders are speaking," Professor Stein admonished. He cleared his throat then turned back to the rest of the STAR Labs team. "Throughout this fight, even if we weren't using all of the power we could, I felt everything that landed on Ronald here." He ignored Ronnie's eye roll. "And even before then I had a strange craving for pizza."

"I don't blame you for that one," Henry remarked with a warm smile. "I haven't had a good slice of pizza in a long time."

"Well, you've got plenty of things to catch up on, Dr. Allen," Caitlin said to him. She matched his smile, then turned serious as she shifted her gaze over to her fiancé and new acquaintance. "If Professor Stein and Ronnie can feel each other's pain then there's something else going on here that we didn't think about before." She picked up her tablet and started to shift her fingers and thumb across the screen. "This means their connection isn't just physical but mental as well and that opens up even more possibilities, hindrances, and complications of their merge and separate than we originally thought."

"That certainly does seem like something that we have missed over," Harrison remarked. He snapped his fingers. "As intuitive as always, Dr. Snow." Almost as if he didn't see Caitlin's flush and glance towards Ronnie, he moved his wheelchair over to the metahumans. "We'll need to monitor your levels for a few minutes then we'll get started on testing the new connections between these two. Cadence, would you mind assisting me in the medical bay?"

She started to respond but stopped when her cell phone rang. There was a second before Barry's rang as well. The two looked it over and found a text from Joe alerting them to get back to CCPD headquarters.

"We've got to get back, actually," Barry said. He quickly changed out of his workout clothes and into his street clothes before going over to his father, patting him on the shoulder. "I know I said we'd go to get some dinner, I'll try to hurry this up before Joe comes around."

Henry nodded and reached his hand up, patting Barry's hand. He curled his fingers around Barry's and squeezed it to show how he felt about it. Him leaving this time was going to be even harder than Barry leaving the jail. For the past couple of days they had been able to spend time together, even if Henry was a fugitive, just because of the threat of the Reverse-Flash. Joe, after Barry debriefed him about the Reverse-Flash attacking during his date, spoke to Captain Singh and got him to agree to hold the man at STAR Labs for a few days until it was deemed safe once more. Being able to spend the extra days with his father out of jail was the best time Barry had.

His father being there to actually sit and talk with, even if it was in the confines of STAR Labs, joke around with, to catch up on everything he missed…now he knew how Oliver's friends and family felt when he returned from the island.

"No rush, Slugger. I know you'll do your best to get back here as soon as you can," he replied.

Barry smiled and nodded to Cadence, signaling he was ready to go. Cadence then turned to Brady. "Stay here for a while; Ryder will be around later to get you okay?"

"I'll be fine, Mom," Brady replied. He thought for a minute. "I'll help Harrison with the medicine stuff."

"We'll fill you in on the results of the tests," Cisco said, crossing his arms. "I'm thinking we put them through the same paces we did for Barry. Maybe a little of ping-pong and chess." His eyes widened. "If they share each other's brains, will they be able to figure out who is going to do what move? What about in poker? Will poker faces even make a difference?" He threw his hand into the air. "Who's coming with me to Vegas?"

Barry chuckled. "Let us know what you come up with and we'll be back soon." Barry shifted his eyes over towards Harrison and watched him for a moment before running to the CCPD. He briefly expected the Black Flash to show up, but it seemed like he only came around when the Reverse-Flash made an appearance. The way they he spoke with the Black Flash during their fight proved they were at least familiar with each other if not working together.

And if Harrison really _was_ the Reverse-Flash, then how was he able to speak to Barry at the time he was fighting him? The simple answer was that he was able to disguise his voice just as Barry could. The even more simple answer was that Harrison wasn't the Reverse-Flash.

Over the past few days Barry had watched him closely to see if there was a sign that would give away his secret identity. If there was a secret, Harrison was good at keeping it. Still Barry's suspicions didn't go away.

If anything they became worse.

Barry knew he had to say something to Cadence or else surprising her with the information and his and Joe's suspicions would put her into a tailspin. _If only I knew this for sure,_ he thought as they arrived at the front steps, with Barry skidding to a stop as he did so.

"So what do you think is so important?" Cadence asked. "It's after hours but no meta sirens went off back at STAR Labs."

"As far as we know, a meta figured out how to keep from setting off our alarms," Barry replied. He thought for a moment. "Or else Captain Cold has become increasingly smart and figured out who to go to first." He closed his eyes at the mention of Captain Cold. That was something else he was worried about; the criminal knew his name, face, identity, and had struck up a deal with Barry that his past criminal records were to be expunged and he couldn't be arrested.

It was only a matter of time until the Rogues popped up and he couldn't do anything about it.

"Listen, Cade, there's something I need to tell you," Barry started, slowing his steps. Cadence instinctively matched his stride and walked by him as well. "I don't know _how_ to say it but—"

She sighed, smiled and said, "I already told you, you don't' need to apologize. You were right. I can be self-centered at times. I'm working on it."

"No, it's not that. It has to do with Harrison—"

"Barry!" Iris's voice turned his attention to the top of the steps. Her gaze flittered to Cadence and she grabbed onto Barry's arm. "I need to talk to you, in private."

"No problem," Cadence replied. "I was actually going to look for Eddie anyway."

The corner of Iris's mouth turned upwards and her gaze shifted to Cadence's once more. "I'm sure you were." Then she pressed her lips together and crossed her arms. "Sorry, but I don't know where he is."

Cadence tilted her head to the side and watched Iris for a minute before turning to Barry with raised eyebrows and walked into the CCPD. Barry turned back to Iris and grasped her arm, slowly walking the two into the building. "Iris, what's going on, are you okay?"

"Yeah, Barry, everything's fine, it's just…" Iris trailed off, letting out a deep breath. "Okay, I was taking a break from working on my article so I could update the blog—"

"Oh, Iris." Barry lowered his voice as he looked around the lobby of the CCPD. There were enough police officers and detectives walking back and forth that anyone could overhear them. There was no use getting anyone else in trouble for listening to their conversation. "I thought we already told you that this article wasn't a good idea—"

"—It doesn't have to do with the article, it has to do with my blog. I was putting up a post and looking at the comments and links people were giving and I realized that a lot of them had to do with a Man in Yellow. The same guy you were saying had been in your mother's house the night she died. And the same thing I saw during Christmas."

Barry's heart sank to his feet.

Iris took a step towards Barry, grasping his wrist. "I don't know what's going on, but you're right, Barry. There _is_ a Man in Yellow and he's hovering around Central City. Sightings have been seen near the outskirts of the city, Mercury Labs, STAR Labs…Barry, this could be your chance to catch your mother's killer! I had to tell you as soon as I found out!"

Now Barry's heat shot through his feet and into the floor. That was the last thing he needed to hear. It meant he was right. It was all true. The Reverse-Flash was staling Central City for him and if he was hanging around STAR Labs then that was all the proof he needed. "Listen, Iris—"

"Barry, hey, I'm glad you got here so fast," Joe said as he walked over. He leaned over and gave Iris a kiss on the side of the head. "I really need to talk to you."

"Then why'd you call both of us—"

"—Captain Singh is going on the war path and needs everyone here for some reason." Joe shrugged, slapping his hands to his sides. "I think the DA is coming and you know when he does Captain Singh gets to be even more insufferable than he already is."

 _Great,_ Barry thought. Now he had to worry about Captain Singh's bad mood becoming downright demonic. "Iris was just telling me that her blog has more postings of the _Man in Yellow_." He said the last three words through clenched teeth and Joe immediately picked up on Barry's distress.

"But you haven't run into him have you?"

"No, Dad, I haven't seen him myself. Not since Christmas."

"Okay, good. Why don't you go back to the house and get dinner started. We're just making sure everything is in its place before the DA arrives." Joe put his arms around his daughter and squeezed her tightly. "But be careful okay? And if anything goes wrong, you can call—"

Iris rolled her eyes as she hugged her father as well. "I know where to call you, Dad. I've known since I was five, don't worry, I'll be okay." She then turned and gave Barry a hug, too. "I think I'll go find Eddie, chances are Cadence has already found him."

Barry met Joe's eye as Iris took a step back and headed off in the direction that Cadence had just gone. Joe turned back to Barry and he held his hands up defensively. "Before you ask, I have no idea what's going on. One time we were talking about The Flash and Flare and how she's been helping out The Flash and the next thing I know we're here and she's been the coldest I've ever seen her."

Joe looked like he was about to burst out laughing. He cleared his throat and covered his mouth under the guise of rubbing his goatee. Finally he turned serious once more and said. "As much as I really want to come back to this topic of conversation, the fact that she brought up the Man in Yellow, Reverse-Flash just now means we need to move faster than we were before to prove this guy really is Harrison Wells. And now that Iris has mentioned Tess, we need to investigate this car accident that supposedly killed her."

"So what are you going to do?'

"Well, the accident happened in Starling City. So I think I'm going to go out there and look around at the crash site, maybe stop by the SCPD to get more information otherwise not released to the public. Maybe I'll take Cisco with me, if there's anything that can explain why someone who was thought to be dead comes back to life I'm sure he's thought of something." Joe smiled a little. "I'm sure he already has his plan worked out if the Zombie Apocalypse happens."

He probably was right. Cisco had talked about it enough when they were doing a zombie movie marathon; after making a comprehensive list of how they rated on the zombie scale.

Barry held up his hands.

"By all means, Joe, because the only thing I can think of at this point is just going in there and killing him," Barry said. It wasn't until he heard the words come out of his mouth that he realized how true it was. He wanted nothing more than to get his hands on the Reverse-Flash and kill him, to finally have him out of his life. To finally use him to prove his father's innocence and that the Reverse-Flash didn't have anything over him anymore.

He wanted him gone.

Dead, buried, and gone.

Even if that meant getting rid of Harrison Wells as well.

.

..

...

Brady took the tablet that Harrison handed him and carefully turned it off. He walked it across the medical bay and handed it to Caitlin as she cleared things up. "Thanks Brady," she said to him, placing the tablet back in its proper place. "You really helped us today."

"I don't know how." Brady shrugged. "I'm not good at science."

"Well, what's your favorite subject in school?"

"Recess," Brady replied with a smile.

"Recess isn't a class," Caitlin reminded him.

"My favorite class is PE," Brady said. He started to run his hands through his hair then stopped when he realized he'd mess up his Mohawk. "I like to play different games. I don't really like my classes. I'm not good in them. I'm bad at math and science. Language arts is boring. I don't really like social studies."

"But you like to learn here, with us at STAR Labs right?" Caitlin insisted. She lowered herself down into her seat and leaned towards the young boy. "And be exposed to all sorts of different things that you may never see again."

Again Brady shrugged. "Yeah, but I don't get what's happening. I just like fighting off the metahumans. Fighting against Hartley was fun." He looked over as Harrison came to a stop beside him and rested his hand on his shoulder.

"Then I guess we're going to have to change the definition of fun, because school can be very fun." He shook Brady's shoulder. "Why don't we give Caitlin some time to herself. I'm sure she would like to spend some more time with her fiancé and Professor Stein."

Caitlin cleared her throat and looked away. "We've found more instance of the common link between the two of them. It definitely is through the brain. When they're merged it's like Professor Stein is the driver of Ronnie's body, or the vessel. I think it's because at the time of the Particle Accelerator explosion the force of the blast knocked Professor Stein into Ronnie rather than the other way around, and with the dark matter and the x-element particles within the blast it made them merge. And it seems the time they're spent separated just increases that bond, hence Professor's Stein want of pizza."

She leaned forward. "Can you imagine the kind of medical advancements and research this could bring in? Studies on twins, studies on close family members, studies on empathy links and even sympathy pains. This is something that could really turn STAR Labs around. But, of course, there's the chance of someone looking for the information."

"Who would want to do that?"

"General Wade Eiling would," Harrison replied, to which Caitlin nodded to. Brady watched as Harrison's eyes narrowed for a minute into an almost steely cold glare. Then he relaxed and grinned as if the notion had never occurred to him. "Like I said, as intuitive as ever, Dr. Snow. I'll leave you to your work."

Brady waved to Caitlin and followed his grandfather out of the medical bay and into the cortex. "What were your favorite classes when you were in school? Did you always like science?"

"Yes, science has always been one of my favorite subjects. But I also greatly enjoyed sports as well. I used to play basketball all the time. And some hockey as well."

"Did you ever play any soccer?"

"A few pickup games here and there," Harrison said. He came to a stop at his desk and pulled out a chess board. He set it on the table and gathered all of the pieces. "Being tall translated to me being very quick. And with basketball my understanding of physics aided in the sport, as well as making me a very distinguished pool player. But my true love has always been chess."

"I've never played," Brady said, watching as Harrison set up the pieces on the board. "Mom has but she says she's not good at the long-con, whatever that means."

"Well, that just means that we'll have to teach it to you, won't we?" Harrison smiled.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well a mention of General Eiling along with Firestorm has started that plot and it certainly can't be good. Not to mention other plots from the show. Thank you all for being so patient with me while waiting for an update. I'll update again soon.

Let me know what you think.

 **-Riles**


	32. The Truth Shall Set You Free

**.:32:.**

* * *

Iris warmed her hands, wrapping it around the coffee mug that sat in front of her. She lifted her chin, eyes moving around Jitters. Something was making her restless, even if she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She looked up as Lois slid into the seat across from her and calmly sipped from her own mug of coffee.

"So how's your article going?" Iris asked her. Lois looked up over the rim of her mug. "The one about the increase in crime and metahumans?"

Lois nodded and placed her mug on the tabletop with a light clink. "It's going much better than I expected it would," she explained. "I knew there was a lot going on in Metropolis with the villains and criminals that Superman is always dealing with, but Central City really takes the cake. These guys have more powers and abilities than anything I've ever seen."

"Have you ever gotten up close to the fights? I'm sure Superman manages to make his way onto the front page day after day." Iris thought about the Flash and how hard she had been working with the Central City Picture News to keep from only reporting on the Flash despite what her boss wanted. Especially as she had to scrap her article about Tess.

"You get used to it. There's rarely a day that goes by where there isn't some sort of story that can be used about Superman. And I can see that's the same thing here. But what you need to remember is that if you continue to write the same stories you always write then you're not going to be able to move forward and hone your writing skills."

Iris rolled her eyes and rested her mug on the table once more. "We tried that already, remember? That article about Tess that we can't do now."

Lois waved her hand. "Everyone always says 'no' at the beginning, you just have to make them think that it's their idea to do it. Do you know how many articles I've written about some of the corruption that was going on in Metropolis where people originally didn't want to talk?"

"Aren't there journalistic ethics and morals that come into play at some point?" Iris asked in a small voice.

Lois's face then softened as she looked directly at Iris. "Yes and that's when you start to question why you're in the profession in the first place, right? I've gone through that many times, especially after I've seen what some stories have done to some of the people I've written about. But there are a few things to remember," she held up her finger. "Time heals all wounds and what made you get into the profession in the first place. I've always wanted to help people, to get the truth out there for those that had no voice and this was the best way to do it." She cleared her throat. "Now for that story that you want to do, you really just want to write about Tess Morgan right?"

"Right, but she's turned me down," Iris reminded her.

"She turned you down about a story that connected her and Harrison Wells. Obviously there's something about the man she doesn't want to revisit. If she was married to him, as you explained before then that might be very painful for her." Lois's eyes shifted for a moment before she smiled. "I'm going to help you get your story, because I'm now as intrigued as you were, but it might be better to go at it from a different angle."

"Don't worry, I've already thought about that," Iris said. She smiled back to Lois before reaching down to her purse as it rested on the ground. She pulled up a folded issue of the newspaper and opened it. Lois looked down at the image, her eyebrows rising when she saw the slashes, marks, and swirls created by a sharpie. "I'm going to figure out the identity of The Flash. Things have been strange around here since the Particle Accelerator exploded and it starts and ends with STAR Labs. If I can look around there a little, ask some of the right questions it shouldn't be too hard."

"Sounds like you already have an idea of the man behind the mask," Lois said slowly. She looked over the notes that Iris had made along the side of the picture and tilted her head to the side. "You've got some really detailed notes here."

"You should see the notes I have on my computer, completely comprehensive and explaining every incident he's been to and worked on since he first arrived." Iris grinned. "Not to mention the ones he worked on with Flare, what happened to the metas he dealt with, and whether or not those metahumans made another appearance. And it all points back to STAR Labs."

"What does STAR Labs have to do with it then?" Lois pressed.

"I think they know who the Flash is and I think they were the ones that created him," Iris continued.

"What about the other one you mentioned? Flare?"

Iris frowned. "She came in a few months after the Flash but I'm not entirely sure her background. There have been some postings of her on my blog and there have been others that have given their theories as to what created her powers and how they continue to evolve. But that's just as much of a secret as her identity."

"But you want to know about the Flash?"

"Right." _Mostly because I think I already have an idea of who it is,_ Iris thought. She looked over as the door to Jitters opened and Tess walked inside. This time she looked around cautiously before standing up straight and strode confidently to the counter to make her order. As she waited for the barista to fill it out she shifted back and forth, almost as if she couldn't put too much weight on one side. "Excuse me."

"Is that the woman?" Lois asked, leaning over to look at Tess. When Iris nodded, Lois started to get to her feet.

Reaching out her hand, Iris motioned for Lois to sit back down. "No. I'll be right back." She cleared her throat before striding confidently over to Tess and gently grasped her shoulder. Tess gasped and turned her way, her blue-green eyes widening in surprise, hesitation, and a light sense of fear. "Please, just…hear me out. I wanted to apologize to you, Tess. I'm sorry that I was so pushy with the story that I didn't even ask you wanted to be a part of. I should've realized there might've been a reason you didn't want the story out. Things must've been pretty painful for you. So, I just wanted to say that I'm truly sorry for trying to push you into it."

Tess studied Iris for a moment then seemed to have recognized the sincerity in her voice for her face warmed and she smiled. "It's alright. I can admire your go-getter attitude. It's very similar to the way we work in the sciences; we work as hard as we can to find out the response to our experiments and research just so we can figure out what works and what doesn't work just so we can do it all over again. I just wish you would've looked before you leapt."

"I understand," Iris insisted. "I really do."

"But I can't assume that you would give up completely. Am I correct in assuming you already have another story in the works?"

"I do! You know how I was telling you that everyone at the newspaper was saying that I was the expert on the Flash? I decided to make that my story. See if I can figure out his identity. I already have a few leads and an idea of who it might be."

Tess tilted her head to the side, studying Iris closely. Then she smiled once more, a warm smile that made Iris suddenly think about the mother figure that she was missing in her life. It was filled with warmth and compassion that only those with the motherly instinct could hold.

"You're going to do a fine job, Iris," Tess said. She reached out and grabbed onto her order as it was placed on the counter next to her. "I'm looking forward to seeing your name in the byline."

"Thanks."

Iris watched Tess leave, crossing her arms over her chest. Then she turned back to her table where Lois was leaning over the newspaper that sat in front of her, looking closely at the annotated picture of The Flash. Her name was going to be in the byline alright, then go down in infamy as the person that managed to find the true identity of The Flash.

.

..

...

Barry shook his head as he looked at Oliver. "How many times do you think I'm going to get the phone call that you died before you actually die?" Oliver shot him an exasperated glance before turning away from Roy, who stood at the other end of the roof top, staring at the sky. Despite all of the bright lights that Starling City had showing off, the stars in the sky were still very visible.

"I can't believe so much has gone down over here," Cadence added. She shook her head. "And I thought the Reverse-Flash was the problem. I can't believe its gotten bad enough that Roy had to pretend to die just so your name could be cleared."

"Yes, well, it was their idea not mine," Oliver agreed. He glanced at Roy over his shoulder. "If it were my choice…" He took a deep breath. "He could've gotten himself killed for real. All because of…." His chin trembled as he tried to keep his composure.

Barry shook his head, tuning away from Oliver for a moment. He looked out over the rooftop of Verdant wondering if things were going to get that bad in Central City. He had been keeping tabs on Starling as much as possible and things were going badly over there. His heart sank when he saw that the Starling City Police had turned their backs on Oliver. When he called the Arrow, Oliver explained it was something he could handle and that someone was just framing him for everything else they were doing. Then he had seen on the news that, once again, the Arrow had died. He didn't believe it at first and told the others, who calmed him down before he could fall into another bout of depression. Calling him, he found out that Oliver was in fact very much alive and that he and Cadence needed to get to Starling City as soon as possible.

It wasn't hard to get there, but it was hard to listen to the explanation as to what had been going on, and to see how suspicious the police presence had become.

"But everyone now thinks the Arrow is dead, which means that Oliver Queen isn't, especially after the city turned on you," Felicity pointed out. "It wasn't a choice that was hard to make."

Oliver looked like he was about to protest but Diggle cut him off, placing a hand on Oliver's shoulder. "We've gone back and forth on this Oliver but there isn't anything you can say that can change what happened. Roy made the decision on his own and we went along with his wishes." He glanced at Roy. "There was something he felt he needed to atone for as well as to pay you back for everything you've done for him."

"This doesn't come close to everything I've done," Oliver whispered.

"In Roy's eyes it is. Don't make him think any different."

Roy slowly walked their way and the group broke up to wait for him to speak. He came to a stop in front of them and looked each of them in the face, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "You know I always thought about how I would say goodbye to you all when the time came," he said. "I never thought it was actually going to be this hard considering the circumstances. But I'm glad to have been able to know you all."

"Roy—"Oliver started.

Roy quickly interrupted him. "Tell Thea that I'm alive. Then tell her I'm sorry that I'm leaving without saying goodbye." He looked over at Cadence and nodded towards her. "And call Thea, talk to her. She had Oliver and Laurel but there's some things that she would like to talk to you about as well. When you were in Metropolis you were a part of her life, too. With everything that's going on now she'll need as many people as possible."

"Roy," Oliver started again. This time he didn't seem as annoyed as he did before. Now he looked wistful, sad, and…filled with regret. "I feel like you're throwing your life away."

"But I'm not; I'm starting a new one." Roy gave a brave smile and Barry couldn't help but smile himself. It was the same sense of optimism he tried to hold onto as long as things continued to advance around him. It was nice to see that while someone else's life was, in a way, ending, they were still able to look forward. He barely knew Roy but he knew Arsenal was going to move onto better things with the new life he was going to start.

Diggle was the first to step forward and grab Roy in a friendly embrace, squeezing him. "Anywhere, anytime you need something. You call me. Take care of yourself, Roy." He patted the young man on the back and stepped back so Felicity could get her chance to say her goodbyes.

Felicity covered her mouth with her hand hoping to keep herself from crying. Then the tears fell and she wrapped her arms around Roy's shoulders, hugging him tightly. "I'll miss you most of all scarecrow," she whispered. "Just expect a million phone calls on that untraceable satellite phone I stashed in your bag."

Then it was Cadence's turn. She smiled at Roy and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before hugging him. "You did good, Little Red," she said, causing him to laugh. "Let's hope where you're going now that you don't have a Big Bad Wolf breathing down your neck."

"Is that supposed to be Oliver?" Roy replied.

"Have you seen his beard? I think he'd be the Lumberjack." Cadence squeezed him one more time and stepped away from him. "If you ever find yourself in Metropolis you've got a free place to stay."

"Thanks, Cade."

Then it was Barry's turn. For a moment he wasn't sure of what to say. He had a lot of mixed emotions about Roy. On one hand he was a bit jealous of how close he had become to Oliver while working by his side in Starling City, he was jealous of how quickly and easily he had become friends with Cadence—as well as disliking him for that reason alone. But on the other hand he had worked beside Roy to save Central City and Starling City and he hadn't seen anyone as dedicated to trying to turn his life around through his superhero work.

"I know we don't really know each other but you're doing just what Oliver said you would. You bring hope you your city and will do whatever it takes to protect it. It was nice working with you those few times, Barry. I just wish we were able to hang out more." Roy held out his hand and Barry took it, shaking it firmly.

"Thanks for looking after Oliver all this time," Barry replied. He managed a small smile, tilting his head back to the Arrow, who rolled his eyes at the comment. "Chances are he would've gotten himself killed by now."

"Oh, I definitely don't doubt that."

Barry laughed along with Roy and shook his hand firmly. Then Roy turned to Oliver, who slowly nodded, as if bobbing his head to a musical beat that only he could hear.

"Thank you," Roy whispered to Oliver holding out his hand.

"Thank _you_ ," Oliver replied. It was all he needed to say and could say to the partner he had worked with over the past couple of years. He took Roy's hand and shook it firmly. Then the two came together in a tight hug. If there was anything else the two said to each other Barry didn't hear it as they held a long embrace. Finally, they stepped back and Oliver nodded to the young man once more.

Roy nodded back. He looked like he was about to say something else then stopped. He smiled and took a few steps back, looking at his friends once more, then turned on his heel, disappearing around the corner of the rooftop where the stairs leading up to it where placed.

And the group watched as Roy left the rooftop then walked over to the edge, looking down. They watched the street below as Roy climbed into the waiting car—a Camaro—and drove down the street and out of sight.

"So, on a scale of 1 to 10 how mad at us are you?" Felicity asked. Her voice was thick with the tears that continued to fall down her cheeks. Diggle reached out and put his arm around her, gently rubbing her shoulder.

Barry looked over at Oliver as he shrugged. He was silent for a long moment then licked his lips. "I need to learn to let people help me," he murmured. A ragged sigh escaped his lips. "And that it's not a bad thing to ask for it." He then turned to Barry and looked at him intently. "That's something I should've learned a long time ago, that I shouldn't expect to take care of everything myself and I should take the help whenever it's offered. It also means there are times you have to make some of the hardest decisions to help others."

Replaying the words in his head, Barry nodded, turning back to the streets of Starling City. He could see flashing lights in the distance of the SCPD racing around the city while residents continued to hustle and bustle below them. He rested his arms along the railing in front of him and shook his head. Things were bad in Starling City and they were bad in Central City. He agreed with Oliver that he needed help but had no idea where to get the help or what they could even do let alone knowing what the inherent danger was other than the Reverse-Flash continuing to make his presence known.

As the group continued to stand in their shared somber silence, Barry's phone started to ring in his pocket. Noticing Joe's on the ID he looked at the others before taking a step back. "What's up, Joe?" He asked. He listened for a minute and glanced at the others. "I'll be right there," he said. Then he turned to the others, turning off his phone. "I'm going to make sure that Roy gets out of here okay, I'll be back."

And before they could respond he raced off the roof top to the outskirts of Starling City, where Joe and Cisco were standing by an empty overpass. Cisco was pacing back and forth while Joe stared at a grassy spot off the side of the road. Barry came to a stop beside the two of them and Cisco immediately walked over, grasping Barry's arm.

"Barry, I'm glad you got here so fast," he said. He thought for a minute. "That's _never_ going to get old."

"What happened? What'd you find?" Barry asked.

Joe motioned towards the side of the road, waving photos in his hands. "The accident that Harrison and Tess got in did indeed happen here," he explained, showing Barry the pictures procured from the SCPD. "And it says in these reports that Harrison and Tess were both badly injured and sent to Starling General."

"And?" Barry flipped through the pictures that had been of the accident. And it had been a nasty one. The tires were shredded and the car had ended up on its roof. Judging by the few pictures and the differences between them he could see the car had skidded a distance from impact point. Then there was a photo that showed blown out tires and another that showed a close up of the empty car. He grimaced, seeing the blood that was splattered along the interior.

"And, this is the strange part; there was intense confusion while Harrison and Tess were delivered to the hospital. Tess _was_ dead at one point. She was revived, assessed at Starling General, and taken to another hospital for treatment. Since waking up she was passed around and around as she continued to receive surgeries, blood transfusion and physical therapy. Chances are the Tess Morgan Iris met is _Harrison's_ Tess."

Barry's eyes widened. Then his mouth opened and closed over and over again. "And what about Harrison?"

"Harrison wasn't as injured as Tess. As you can see most of the damage was on the passenger side and he went on to live life as normal. As normal as can be as the scientist that created STAR Labs and the Particle Accelerator that turned you into what you are today."

"But…" Barry handed the pictures back to Joe and turned to Cisco, who was nodding in agreement.

"That's not the worst part," Cisco said. "Reports that were given on the condition of Harrison before and after the accident found that his personality changed. Like a complete 180. Almost as if he became a different person."

"Wait a minute." Barry squeezed his eyes shut. "When did this accident happen? Was it before or after my mother's death?"

"After," Joe explained. He shrugged. "Maybe a day or two. At the most a week."

Cisco spoke up, "And he started to work on STAR Labs not long after that. He put his entire life into it to make sure that it would take off."

"Right, right," Barry agreed. He snapped his fingers a few times. "it said in his book, his biography, that after Tess's 'death' he put his entire focus and some of his grieving into it as well. Mentioning every now and then that he would stop to grieve over it, but that he knew she would want him to finish it. And he finished it and we all know what happened next."

"Then that means…that the Reverse-Flash really _is_ Harrison Wells," Joe remarked. "The timeline of all of this happening adds up perfectly."

Cisco's nose wrinkled. His hands slowly lowered to his sides and he looked back and forth between Joe and Barry. His lower jaw dropped. Then he blinked rapidly, pulling his hair behind his ears, bending the shell of the ear forward to maximize his hearing. "Say what, now?"

"It's a long story, I'll fill you in," Barry replied. He ran a hand through his hair as he started to pace back and forth. "If Harrison is the Reverse-Flash…then we can't let him know that we're onto him or else he might do…whatever it is he's trying to do before we can stop him."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Joe asked. He gestured towards Barry as he continued to pace back and forth, going faster and faster as he went. Soon he was practically windmilling his arms and legs as he went, threatening to hit anyone who came too close. "This man has been watching you for _years_ Barry!"

"I know that!" Barry snapped back. "I know that…that—that he's been watching me! That he's murdered my mother and has been trying to kill me for the last year!" He looked over as Cisco suddenly gasped, one hand resting on his chest the other shooting out and grabbing Barry's shoulder. Barry watched as he paled, starting to shake, continuing to gasp loudly.

"Cisco, what's going on?" Joe asked him.

"I…I don't…." Cisco took a deep breath through his nose. "I've been having strange…visions lately," he explained. "Where…where…Harrison kills me." Barry and Joe exchanged glances as Cisco brushed his hair back from his face. His lower jaw trembled, quaking with emotion. "It's…Barry goes after the Weather Wizard"—at this Barry whispered a quiet 'no' and grabbed the ends of his hair—"and…and Caitlin was out with Harrison to stall him, to keep him from realizing that I was looking through the trap that we had set for the Reverse-Flash last Christmas. I found out that he could walk…that he was a speedster. He was the Reverse-Flash and crated something called a speed mirage to put him in two places at once." A tear rolled down his cheek and his voice lowered to a soft whisper. "I tried to talk to him and he killed me."

"What do you mean he killed you?" Now Joe had a firm grasp on Cisco's shoulders and was holding him firmly. "Cisco! Cisco, talk to us. What do you mean he killed you? How do you know—"

"I saw it!" Cisco cried. "I saw it and I keep seeing it. I don't know how it happens but it _does_! I'll be going about my day and the next thing I know, it's like I'm Tony Stark after Wanda Maximoff does that weird mind scramble thing to him. But instead of seeing everyone else that I know and love lying on the ground I see him shoving his…vibrating _hand_ through my chest! Through my _heart_! And then I'm back…doing whatever it is I'm doing."

"I time traveled!" Barry blurted out. He continued speaking before Cisco or Joe could ask him to clarify. 'I time traveled back when we were dealing with the Weather Wizard. He had you, Joe, because he wanted revenge on you for his brother's death. I ran as fast as I could to save you and the rest of the city from a giant wave Mardon was making." He sucked in a deep breath. "But I couldn't do it. Brady and Cadence died trying to help me and then the wave washed over Central City and killed…killed _everyone_!" He sniffed. "I ran as fast as I could to get away from the wave and…and the next thing I know I time-traveled and the day started all over again. But this time I stopped him but the Rogues…the Rogues—"

"—kidnapped Dante," Cisco whispered. "And held him hostage and we met the Golden Glider and tried to help and…and that's when I told them who you really were." His mouth opened and closed as everything started to make sense. "Harrison Wells…is the Reverse-Flash."

"Again, we don't know that for sure," Joe insisted.

"Joe, you _just_ agreed with us. _You_ were the one that had the suspicions in the first place! Why would you go back on that now?"

"Because I don't want to see what you'll do if we're right, Barry!" Joe replied with so much emotion that it stopped Barry cold. "Your mother was murdered, your father's in jail, and I was the one to help you the entire time. To watch you grow up. To be there for you when you cried and called for your mother night after night. To stop you from visiting your father in jail so much when you were a kid, to keep you from running away. I don't want to think what will happen if you're right." He took in a deep breath through his nose. "You were right with what you said earlier. We can't let anyone know yet, what our suspicions are or else he'll become suspicious of us. We need cold hard proof before we can go after him."

"So we're just supposed to sit there and act like he's actually trying to help me?" Barry rasped.

"For now. Just for a little while longer."

"Then we have to tell Caitlin and Cadence," Cisco insisted. Barry shook his head. "Why not?"

"If _we're_ reacting this badly to the news…I don't even want to think of what will happen if _they_ find out."

"But if he is really who we say he is, then the rest of them may be in danger. Even Ronnie and Professor Stein." Cisco bit his lower lip for a minute then blurted out, "Caitlin's been seeing Dr. Wells. I don't think she's in love with him but they've been together before Ronnie came back. I think she's really confused now because they've been avoiding each other. And he's Cadence's dad, Barry, and Brady's grandfather. If we don't tell them…"

"How do you think a conversation would go where she finds out that not only is her birth father the Reverse-Flash but also that her birth mother is still alive?" Besides, as close as he and Cadence were becoming as they dated, he didn't think _any_ two month relationship would last a revelation like that. "What do you think he's going to do in the time we try to figure out how to deal with him? Brainwash them?" Barry wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

"We don't know what he's capable of doing," Joe pointed out. He ran a hand over his beard, looking back and forth along the abandoned road. "And if all of this is true then maybe you were right when you said we should've kept Henry out of jail or at least in a safer place within Iron Heights. Who knows if he'd still go after him?"

"If that's the case then shouldn't we tell Iris who I really am?" Barry shot back. Still, Joe shook his head. "She's not stupid, Joe, she's going to find out at some point. And how can she still be safe if she doesn't know what might be coming for her? She already saw the Reverse-Flash once and there have been more sightings on her blogs about him."

"Barry, listen to me. I've been a cop for a long time and because of that I've had to interrogate a lot of people. Because of that, I've gotten to stud people even more than psychologists would ever dream. I know people. And Harrison Wells, if that's really his name, isn't someone that's going to go after Iris or even me, he wants to go after you and you alone. Everyone else doesn't matter."

"So we're supposed to just sit and wait?"

"No." Joe swallowed hard. "We'll need to catch him in a trap."

.

..

...

"Hi Brady, Connor's in his room," Samantha said with a warm smile as she opened the door to let the young boy into her house. "It's good that you can spend some more time with us."

"My Mom had to go to Starling City for something," Brady explained, holding out his jacket so it could be taken. "But my…" he trailed off, frowning. Finally he shrugged and corrected himself. "Ryder is going to pick me up." He watched as Samantha's eyes suddenly became distant and she turned away from him.

"That sounds like it'll be fun," Samantha said, her voice muffled by the closet. She turned back to Brady, pushing her hair behind her ears, kneeling down to his height. "I know my son can get a bit wild when you're around, but please make sure he doesn't rope you into something too dangerous. I think I heard him say something about trampolines and ziplines."

Brady smiled and ran up to his best friend's room, nearly hit in the face with the door as soon as he reached it. "Hey!" Brady jumped backwards and Connor opened the door, looking at him sheepishly. "What was that for?"

"I wanted to see if you could phase through the door," Connor explained, stepping back so Brady could walk in.

"I can't always control it," Brady explained, brushing some loose strands of hair up off his forehead. Then he looked around the room and noticed what looked like to be stock piles surrounding backpacks. "What's all this stuff for?" He walked over to a pile and picked up a First-Aid kit and his eyes grew wide with excitement. "Are we really going to make a zipline?"

"No." Connor pouted. "My Mom caught me rigging it up this afternoon and took it down." Then his eyes lit up as well. "Even better! We're going to go hunt the Central City Gorilla."

"The what?" Brady replied.

"You've never heard of the Central City Gorilla?"

"Is that like an urban legend or something?"

Connor rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Apparently there's a gorilla living under the streets, in the sewers. And sometimes it goes out to the forest."

Now Brady's eyebrows rose in recognition. "Oh, you mean like Bigfoot."

"It's better than Bigfoot, this guy is real! I've seen it online." Connor started to pack up the two backpacks and grabbed flashlights as well, slapping one into Brady's hand. "And Mom's really busy doing work from home so she's not going to bother us for a while. She won't even know we're gone. We'll be back before she even comes to check on us."

Brady looked down at the flashlight and turned it over in his hand. The idea of looking around to find the famed gorilla _would_ be pretty fun. He hadn't had a chance to run around in the woods since they had lived in Central City, not unless they were at a field trip and from what he remembered when the Assassination Bureau had him—which still wasn't a lot. (His mother said it was a good thing he didn't remember and that Leah's mind controlling powers worked better on him because he was young, or else he might've had some PTSD from it). Besides, how many people were able to say that they had seen the gorilla?

"So?" Connor stood up in front of Brady with his backpack slung over his shoulders. "Are you coming or what?"

Brady nodded. "Yeah, let's go!"

* * *

 **A/N:** So now we have Roy's sendoff from the Arrow episode as well as Oliver bringing Barry some words that he needed to hear. This isn't the last you'll see of Team Arrow, by the way. I originally had a plot that dealt with the Rogues down in Starling City but had to take it out as the scene with Roy and Joe and Cisco as well as I have a different plan with the Rogues in mind.

That being said the rest of this story is now following the same plot that Flash Fire had where the last chapters of the story have to deal with increasing amounts of action until the story ends. There are some plots of this story that won't be finished in this one but the next one. But the big plot of the end of the story, of course, is the whole Reverse-Flash/Harrison Wells thing. I bet you guys can't guess what's going to happen with that.

Thank you all for being so patient. For those waiting there's SnowWells coming up in the next chapter.

Also, I'm taking votes for the name of the third story. The options are _Fuel to the Fire, Fired Up, Trial by Fire, Catch Fire/Catching Fire and In the Line of Fire._ So let me know what you think.

 **-Riles**


	33. Psychotic Tendencies (1)

**.:33:.**

* * *

"Hey, can we talk?"

Barry watched as Cadence looked away from the train window. The landscape raced by the train as if they were in a race of their own. Of course if Barry were out there running as well he would win the race all on his own and within a few seconds. But he did sometimes prefer to rest and take the train back into Starling and insisted on doing so this time around. He had the option of driving with Joe and Cisco back to Central City but turned it down, not wanting anyone else to find out about their suspicions.

He wanted to mention it to Oliver but there was already a lot going on with Roy leaving his team and whatever was going on with the League of Assassins. Oliver had explained as much as he could to him and, true to Oliver form, had insisted he had it handled. Of course it was already hard for him to deal with someone who had become like a brother to him leave the team because he was trying to protect Oliver and the rest of Starling City. But at least he was going to be safe.

With Harrison…or whoever he was, Barry wasn't sure how safe things were in Central City. Let alone how any of them were going to be now that their suspicions seemed to be paying off. And riding on the train gave him time to try and figure things out, what he was gin got say to Cadence and Caitlin about Harrison. He didn't want to be right just as much as he truly wanted to. If he was right, that mean that he had the man that killed his mother right in his sights and he could get revenge on the man that aused his life northing but emotional turmoil.

Cadence glanced up at Barry as he lowered himself into the seat across from her, having previously paced back and forth along the length of their otherwise empty train car. She gave him a small smile as he sat. "Conversations that start like that are never good," she remarked. "But go ahead."

Barry nodded and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. He took a deep breath then lowered his head, bringing his hands up and laced the fingers together. He rested his palms on the back of his head and let out a low breath. Oh God. This was worse than he thought it was going to be. He had talked himself up, basically given himself a pep-talk to explain why it was good idea to tell her. She needed to know, not just because of her own safety, but for Brady's safety, too. And because it would hurt worse if she found out some other way. But he didn't want to have to be the person to tell her, even if it was the right thing to do. _Telling Caitlin would be a lot easier and even that would be hard, _he thought. Cadence's eyebrows came together as she watched him, waiting for him to say something. Lifting his head, Barry looked at her once more then looked away again.

Oh God, he couldn't do this.

"I can take whatever it is you have to tell me, Tholly," Cadence said as Barry continued to be silent. "What is it?"

Finally, Barry sat up in his seat, almost in a reserved manner, and dropped his hands to his lap. He angled his head away, slightly, and took another breath. He had to say _something_. "I just…I don't know how to say this, but, uh…I don't think…right now…that we should be going out." He closed his eyes, immediately hating how cowardly he had become. Especially considering what had happened before he time-traveled.

He had been so preoccupied with what had been going on with the Weather Wizard that he ran around the city making sure he knew where everyone was. So he went back to his house and waited for Iris to show up, trying to figure out an excuse that Iris would believe to stay in the house. Thankfully he didn't have to wait long for Iris to arrive at the house with Brady behind her. That was a bit confusing to him, but he did remember that Joe did watch the young boy from time to time and probably had been asked to do it that day. Barry had let out a sigh of relief when he saw Iris wasn't hurt.

"Do you have anything to eat?" Brady asked Iris as they entered the house.

"I think there are some Fruit Rollups left in the cabinet," she said before lifting a pointed gaze towards Barry. "If _someone_ didn't eat them all." Barry's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "Don't try and act innocent Barry Allen, I know that you and Dad both like to get into the sweets."

"You're right, but I'm innocent this time, Joe's been the one that's hitting up the snackage. You may want to have a talk with him." He smiled, but then it faded when he noticed the apprehensive look on Iris's face. "Are you alright?"

"I would be if Dad would answer his phone," she replied, perching on the end of the couch, glancing down at her silent cell. "I haven't heard from him all day."

"I haven't talked to him today, either, but I'm sure he's fine," Barry said. He tried to convince himself more than her. It wasn't working.

"Yeah…" Iris agreed. She perched on the arm of the couch, looking over at her best friend curiously. "So what are you doing home so early?"

"I was looking for you. I met your friend Mason…and he says that he has proof that Dr. Wells has done something." Barry nervously cleared his throat and crossed his arms. "You…you wouldn't know what he's talking about would you?"

"No." Iris shook her head. "He doesn't really say much to me other than what I need to know to write about the Flash." A heavy silence hung through the room and he clasped his hands together. "So…how are things going with you?"

Barry gave her a look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Iris laughed, brushing her hair back from her face. "Nothing! I can't ask how things are going with my best friend?" She put emphasis on the words that made Barry take note of it. "I mean, you've been so busy lately. I'm just trying to catch up on things that I might have missed."

"Like?" Barry pressed. Iris thought for a moment and Barry held up his hand. "Oh no, I'm not going to let you pry into my love life."

Iris held her hands up defensively. "I'm just making sure that things are going okay, Barry. I mean, you were in a coma for a long time and things are different now. You know I'm always here for you, I just don't want you to get hurt. Not after what happened with Becky Cooper." At Barry's groan Iris continued with, "I'm sorry, but she was a nightmare of a girlfriend. I just want to be sure that you're with the right person."

Barry sighed, shoulders slumping. Of course. Of course Iris was careful about any girl who was 'right for him'. She never thought _any_ girl he was interested in was right for him. Now that…that he didn't have the same sort of feigns for Iris anymore, it was like she was doing her absolute best to drive every girl away from him. What was going on?

Turning his gaze to his best friend, Barry slowly shook his head. "Then who is?" He asked.

"That's easy." Brady's voice sounded behind them as he walked over to the couch, unwrapping a Fruit Rollup. He stuck one end in his mouth before leaning against the back of the couch on his crossed arms, smiling at the two young adults. "It's my Mom."

Barry and Iris smiled awkwardly and the conversation ended there. And then Mark Mardon had kidnapped Joe and sent a massive wave towards the city and he had gone back in time…and now here he was, working out how to tell her that her birth father may be a murderer.

This conversation was easier. It wasn't entirely easy but it was easier. Breaking up with someone was hard, but it was even harder when that person was someone he worked with. He just…couldn't see how it would work while they were coming so close to figuring out the Reverse-Flash's real identity. She would probably break up with him anyway once he finally told her his suspicions.

He watched as the light in Cadence's eyes dimmed and she looked away. He rushed to continue. "It's not that you've done anything wrong—"

"Other than try to use Roy to make you jealous, you mean?" Cadence replied with a half smile.

Barry paused. Okay, there was that. That _did_ annoy him. But that was part of the problem as well. He had kissed her that night because, well, he really did want to kiss her, but at the same time it was in the middle of an argument they were having. It wasn't the ideal first kiss he wanted to share. And, yes, part of him did it because he was jealous of Roy.

She reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Yeah, that was really…stupid." She then crossed her arms and her smile faded as she continued to look away from him. She reached a hand up to brush her hair from her face though Barry wasn't sure if she was crying or not. "I shouldn't have done that."

"That's not…" Barry trailed off, his eyebrows coming together. "That's not the reason that I'm—"

"—Breaking up with me?" Cadence interrupted. "I know it's not, Barry. You wouldn't have led me on. You're not that kind of guy." Now Barry saw something flicker through Cadence's eyes before she briefly closed them.

"Cade, listen." Barry sat forward and grasped her hands in his. "Right now is really tough for us, with the Reverse Flash and the Rogues and whatever this Black Flash is and I don't want you to think that I'm ever ignoring you or that I don't have time for you. But I don't think it's fair for either of us right now. Especially if something happens."

Finally, Cadence turned back to him and nodded. "I get it, Barry, don't worry. With things being so serious right now there wouldn't even be nearly enough time to…" now she took a deep breath. "To be honest, Barry, I sort of saw this coming." He looked at her in confusion and she nodded. "I mean…well, neither of us had been around metahumans until we met each other, _good_ metahumans anyway. And even though we do get along and we have some things in common we don't really know a lot about each other, either and what happened may have been out of convenience rather than…" she blew her hair out of her face and sniffed. "I don't think I'm explaining myself really well."

"No! No, you are."

"Because I _do_ like you Barry."

"I like you, too, Cade. A lot." Barry ran a hand trough his hair once more. "I just didn't think you would take it so well."

Cadence shrugged, removing her hands from Barry's grasp. "What I lack in height I make up for in an astronomical sense of confidence," she explained, causing Barry to laugh. Cadence smiled at her own joke and her smile faded once more.

"Could you do me a favor?" Barry asked her. Cadence looked at him in confusion then nodded. "I know this isn't really any of my business but I think you should talk to Ryder. I've seen the way you act around each other and I can see that you're not sure _how_ to act when you're around him. Especially when Brady is there with you. But you're still angry at him for leaving. You always get this…brooding look on your face and rub your fingers when you're around him and you think no one notices. Please talk to him and tell him that you're still mad at him. Do whatever you need to do because, believe me, holding onto a grudge for a long time isn't going to make things better."

"Maybe I'll hold a grudge against you then," Cadence returned. "For still thinking that you can beat me in a race."

Barry chuckled. "Well, hopefully we'll have time to finally figure out who would win."

Cadence smiled back.

Barry closed his eyes, gently shaking his head. He always hated breaking up with someone, having been so guilty when he broke up with Becky Cooper and other women he had dated in his life. But knowing it was easier than knowing the truth of Dr. Wells's past made him feel like a coward.

.

..

...

Cadence woke with a start as there was a sudden jolt of the train. Groggy, she looked up to find Barry asleep as well. Then her eyes narrowed when she recognized the feeling of being watched and flipped around to find Lucas and Leah sitting in the seats across from her. Cadence lifted her hands to shoot a blast of fire towards them but Lucas held his hand up faster than she could move. Cadence's eyes widened in surprise and fear as she felt the air in her lungs slowly start to escape. She brought her hands up to her throat, struggling to draw in a breath.

Lucas smirked and dropped his hand, causing Cadence to suck in aloud gasp of air. "By now I figured you would realize that you're working for us, not the other way around." Cadence's eyes shifted over to Barry and now Leah spoke up.

"Don't worry about him, we haven't done anything to him yet," she said. She shifted her hand up and down every few seconds, using her powers to keep him incapacitated. "I'm just making sure that he had some sweet dreams, making sure that he doesn't wake up while we talk with you." Leah turned her attention back to Lucas and nodded.

He nodded back and leaned forward, looking directly into Cadence's eyes. "Have you gotten any ideas as to where the Reverse-Flash is? You haven't given Breathtaker any updates and he's growing impatient."

Cadence's eyebrows rose. "Last I checked, you guys have been watching me. I think you know the answer to that."

Now Lucas blew his hair out of his face, his eyes shifting over to Barry, who continued to sleep peacefully. "Long enough to know that your love life still isn't working out. We told you before, Brigade, that once you're in the Assassination Bureau you can't get out of it. We become your life and everything else falls by the wayside. Do you think _we_ have any families to cloud our decisions and judgments? We already let Brady go as you asked and we made sure he didn't remember anything, you wouldn't want him to suddenly regain his memories would you?"

Cadence glared back at him. She sighed. "The Reverse Flash showed himself but we didn't capture him. We chased him around Central City but he got away after breaking into Iron Heights. We don't know where he is now but that doesn't mean that he's not going to come back anytime soon. He's after the Flash and chances are he'll show up sooner rather than later."

"That's good to know," Lucas agreed. "But maybe we should remind you how much we need this. Once the Reverse Flash is out of the picture then we'll be able to move onto the next target. And once we've got him then General Eiling will move through the ranks in the government and make sure the metahumans can live the life they deserve to live. Do you think the Flash is really helping us right now?"

"The Flash is making it harder for everyone who had powers to live their normal lives," Leah insisted. "There are so many metahumans that are continuing to hide their powers and go along like 'normal people' afraid to exhibit their abilities. This isn't something we should be ashamed of. And The Flash is making it so that everyone that has different powers can't feel anything but shame. And you're helping him do it."

"I'm helping him take down the ones that are forcing everyone to think that metahumans are bad." Cadence tilted her head to one side then back to the other. Her eyes slowly stared to turn orange and her lips curled up into an evil smile. "And it looks like I'm going to have to do the same to you."

Lucas snarled and launched himself towards her.

Cadence leaned backwards and teleported out of the way, appearing above Lucas and pinned him down onto the seat. She pressed his face into the cushion then whipped around as Leah started to bring up her other hand. Extending her hand, Cadence shot a bolt of fire out into Leah's face. She turned her head to the side and brought her hand up, covering her face with her hand as she screamed. The close proximity of the fire blast singed her face, burning her eyebrows and eyelashes as well as the skin on her face.

Cadence looked back down at Lucas seconds before she was launched into the ceiling of the train car with a burst of air. She crashed hard against the ceiling and fell to the ground, crashing down against two different seats before falling to the ground. Lucas pushed himself upwards with a gust of wind and turned back towards Cadence. She brought her hands up to cover her face as he moved forward with a series of punches that sent blasts of wind towards her.

Cadence continued to move her hands back and forth, breaking the blast of wind that came her way. Lucas turned his attention to the ground and sucked air into his cheeks. He blew out hard and a gust of wind launched him over Cadence's head and behind her. Cadence immediately ducked out of the way and placed her hands on the floor of the train. She lifted her feet off the ground and bent her body over as she did so, creating an arc of fire that shot across the train and struck Lucas, sending him back into the door behind him.

She then lowered herself back to the ground and brought her hands together as she had done when fighting the Reverse Flash. She concentrated hard and watched as her veins slowly turned orange until the tip became emblazoned with a fire. Then the first burst out of her fingertips as if it were a gun and struck Lucas directly in the chest. He cried out in pain, stumbling back.

He brought his hand to his chest, wincing as the middle of his shirt smoldered. He looked down and growled, seeing the spot on his skin that burned away. It reddened and blisters the size of quarters already started to form.

"Fuck you," Lucas hissed, grasping his shirt as he shivered with pain. He brought up his other hand and a gust of wind started to whip through the carriage, pulling at her hair and clothes. "I don't know why Breathtaker allowed you to help us again. You cause us nothing but trouble and now I'm going to extinguish you like I do to your flames."

"You seem to be forgetting," Cadence shot back. She clenched her hands into fists and flames started to shoot out the sides. "That just as easily as wind can smother a flame…it can increase its power!" Cadence took a step back and a blast of fire from her feet shot her forward. It wasn't the same as Firestorm being able to fly but had the same desired effect of moving her forward at a high speed.

Lucas seemed to have had the same thought for he used his wind manipulation ability to launch himself towards her as well. Cadence waited until the last second, right before she was to come into contact with Lucas and teleported behind him. Her forward momentum stayed with her as she changed directions, allowing him to land on him feet first, knocking him forward once more. He turned around and raised his arm to punch her but she blocked it and teleported once more, this time appearing above him.

She landed on his back and held her arm tightly around his neck as he thrashed back and forth trying to knock her off. With a gust of air he flipped backwards to fall to the ground. Cadence teleported once more and Lucas crashed onto the ground. Cadence landed hard on his chest and lifted her other hand in a sweeping arc. A rainbow of fire shot through the air, deflecting Leah's attack from her. Then Cadence flipped forward and aimed her foot towards Leah.

Leah moved out of the way, keeping her hand pointed towards Barry so that he stayed asleep, and smirked at Cadence. "Bring it on," Leah said.

Cadence's eyebrows twitched upwards and the two started a close fight within hand-to-hand combat which made it easier for Cadence to put her parkour skills to use with help from her gymnastics background. As Leah went to punch her Cadence leapt up and grabbed onto the handles that hung from the ceiling. She swung herself up and around, kicking Leah in the chest as she came back down. She swung around again and dropped to the ground, holding her breath and closing her eyes as she shot out a blast of smoke that filled the train car.

Leah and Lucas started to cough and choke as the smoke continued to fill the train car. Lucas fell to his knees and pressed his hands against the ground before following suit with his bode. He placed his face on the ground and turned his head to the side, taking in a deep breath of air that hadn't been filled with smoke and glared. He spread out his arms and the smoke was immediately cleared.

With astonishing speed, Lucas flipped back to his feet and grabbed Cadence around the neck, pressing her face into the nearest window. She cried out in pain as her head smacked into the glass, immediately cracking it. The crack continued to spider with the increase in pressure Lucas put on Cadence's head. A piece of glass lifted and poked into Cadence's cheek, causing warm blood to roll down and drip off her chin.

"Time to wake up," Lucas hissed in her ear and moved his hand to her neck.

He squeezed until the sound of an audible crack filled the air.

.

..

…

Barry jumped backwards as Cadence's eyes flew open and she sat up, taking in a loud, almost desperate, gasp of air. He removed his hands from her shoulders as she frantically reached out to grab onto his arm.

"Cade. Cade! Calm down, what happened? Are you okay?"

"No!" Cadence tightened her grasp on Barry's arm until he winced in pain and moved away, a handprint shaped burn resided. "Oh, Barry, I'm—"

"Don't worry about it," Barry said quickly. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"The Assassination Bureau and General Eiling…they're up to something," Cadence explained, keeping her eyes away from Barry. Something really big with the government and trying to let metahumans live the lives they want. I saw it."

"You _saw_ it?" Barry repeated.

"Yes. It was in my dream…I don't get these kinds of dreams unless Leah…Mindboggler, forces me to see them. Or Breathtaker, he's the one that replenishes metahumans' powers just as easily as he can take them away. It's part of the reason he's called Breathtaker." She turned and dropped her feet to the floor, pressing her face into her hands. "I don't know what it is that he plans to do, exactly, Barry, but it sounds like General Eiling wants to start a metahuman revolution."

Barry pressed his lips together. "We have to get back to Central City. _Now."_

.

..

...

"And then you can watch the metahumans through a video feed to make sure that things within their pods are working to their full potential," Caitlin explained. She looked at Ronnie over her shoulder as he smiled back at her. "Especially for the ones like The Mist and Shana Baez. They could do a lot that'd be increasingly dangerous for us and the city if they got out."

"The Mist?" Ronnie repeated.

"Yeah, he creates clouds of noxious gas that can knock someone out just as easily as it can kill someone," Caitlin explained. "He turns his entire body into the mist and can move though your body, coming out the other side while you choke on him." She moved away from the views within the pipeline and crossed her arms. "The only way we were able to tell the sort of poisonous gas he was primarily made of was by Barry sucking in some of the gas into his lungs and running back here. Then he figured out how to make a speed vacuum of sorts to incapacitate him and bring him in."

"Wow," Ronnie said. He shook his head. "It sounds like you guys have been really busy."

"Yeah, that was, like, the second week of Barry's powers or something like that," Caitlin agreed. She turned around to face him, giving him a small smile. "A _lot_ has happened then. There were so many other metas that we've run into, other people that have similar powers because of weapons Cisco created."

"Cisco?"

"Yeah… he created a cold gun to stop Barry in case Barry ended up being evil when he woke up from his coma. Leonard Snart, or Captain Cold, had taken the cold gun and gotten away and then his partner, Mick Rory or Heateave, created his own heat gun. They keep popping up every now and then and even though they're not metas, it's still hard to outwit them."

Ronnie let out a low whistle. "And to think all of this happened right after the explosion." Caitlin nodded. Ronnie lifted his gaze to her and took a step forward. "Professor Stein and I…we may not get along but we both want the same thing. We want to go home. To a place that we can figure out how to live normally again. I mean, we spent so much time being homeless as we tried to figure out how to control our powers."

"I know," Caitlin whispered. "There were reports…that you had to do whatever you could to stay alive."

"No, you don't know, Caitlin," Ronnie insisted. He shook his head again. "You don't. You don't know what it was like to have someone else's… _being_ in your head, telling you what to do all the time. You don't know what it was like to live out on the streets while we tried to figure out how to control what was going on. How I felt like I was going crazy and I couldn't allow myself to be around anyone else, allow myself to come back to you. You don't know what it was like to live out on the streets while we tried to figure out how to control what was going on. How I felt like I was going crazy and I couldn't allow myself to be around anyone else because I was so afraid I'd accidentally hurt them. I had to go through garbage to find something to eat. It was humiliating."

Caitlin reached out her hand and placed it atop of Ronnie's as it started to shake. She looked at him as he started to shake, his lower jaw trembling. It was obvious what he and Professor Stein had done to keep things as normal as they could be. "All I wanted was to be able to go back home, to go back to you, Cait. _You're_ my home."

"You're home, _now_ ," Caitlin pointed out.

Ronnie shook his head. "No. Not anymore. Central City isn't the same as it used to be. It's not our home anymore. That's what I was thinking we could do. We could leave Central City and start out life over again. Have a _normal_ life."

Now Caitlin shook her head. "But we're not normal," she whispered. "My life isn't normal. I enjoy doing this, working at STAR Labs, working with Barry and Cisco and Cadence and Dr. Wells and making a different here. I like trying to keep as many people safe as I can. Any way that I can. I became a scientist so that I could make a difference and I'm doing that here."

"How big of a difference can you make if you can't do what Barry does?" Ronnie pointed out.

Caitlin frowned. "I do as much as I can. Cisco and I don't just sit back and watch him run around the city and do nothing. Some of the times he's managed to take down a meta is because of our help. And…" she looked down at her hands. "I thought I might've had some powers at some point, I had become really cold and I could freeze things. I haven't been able to do it for a while."

"So you think you're a metahuman, too?" Ronnie asked.

"It's possible. I was here when it blew. I had gone to my office to get something that I thought I had time to get before it went off and…well, everyone always complains that my office is cold, so…" Ronnie looked away from her and Caitlin's frown deepened with offense. "Look, I get that you may want to get out of here but this is my life now." She started to say something else but was cut off as an alarm came up on her computer screen. "I have to bring some food down to the metas in the pipeline, do you want to help me."

"No, I don't."

"Fine."

Caitlin turned on her heel and walked to the elevator without a backwards glance and a heavy sigh. This wasn't the way things were supposed to go. She was supposed to be happy with Harrison and moving on with her life. But now there was Ronnie again and she still loved him as much as ever…but she couldn't leave her new life, her new family. Barry, Cisco, Harrison, Cadence, and Brady had all become her family and helped her through the dark, freezing cold that used to engulf her body.

And the thought of leaving that all behind made her want to freeze up again.

She took the elevator down to the pipeline and to the break room that was set down there, taking out the Big Belly Burger they had stocked up on and re-heated it before placing it on a metal cart to be brought around to each cell. Caitlin made it just outside of the break room when she heard her name called and found Harrison slowly making his way towards her.

"I see you're going to feed these guys," Harrison remarked. "That was just what I was about to do."

"I haven't seen you down here in a while Dr. Wells," Caitlin pointed out. Then she looked around and corrected herself, realizing they were alone. "Harrison. Normally Cisco and I are the ones that take care of this chore."

"Yes, well, I wanted to be sure of the medical charts that we have for each of these metas," Harrison explained himself, calmly rolling by her side. "To see how they're holding up within the cells we've created for them. They're metas but thy're still human."

"And how did your meeting with Hartley go?" Caitlin asked with a knowing lift to her voice. "I can't imagine it was something so pleasant."

"Considering he consistently reminds me of how he tried to warn me about the explosion? He told me in no uncertain terms that he would do the same thing over again if he had the chance, so I don't know what that tells you."

Caitlin's grasp tightened around the handle of her cart as she paused by Shawna's pod. Oh, right. He had been the one that knew the explosion was going to happen but went through it anyway. And it had risked her fiancé his life. _But he's back now,_ Caitlin reminded herself. _And he wants you to leave with him. To leave the new life you have. To leave your new family._ She looked at Harrison out of the corner of her eye to find him calmly sitting in his wheelchair as if he had all the time in the world. Caitlin went through the motions of opening the flap—almost like a mail slot—and passed the tray of food in to Shawna, immediately closing it back up. _A strange family, but a family. Even more so than the one you had before._ She tried not to become bitter of her thoughts of her mother.

"That tells me that Hartley will always be Hartley," Caitlin said, turning back around. "It seems like people can't change so much."

"You've changed," Harrison pointed out. "Multiple times. When I first hired you, you were willing to do every job that was given to you and you rose through the ranks with as much ease as I thought you would. Then when Ronnie died—"

"—Please don't," Caitlin interrupted.

Harrison pressed his lips together for a minute but continued. "I understand it must be hard for him to come back from the dead so to speak and I don't know how I would feel if Tess came back as well." Caitlin closed her eyes, still walking the cart o the next pod. The mechanical grinding of Harrison's wheelchair let her know he was keeping speed with her. "And I hope his question for you to leave is something you think hard and long about. Whatever decision you make we'll support you on."

"I've already made my decision," Caitlin said. "I can't leave. Not now. Barry needs me. He needs all of us."

Harrison moved in front of Caitlin and made sure to block the cart. He looked around for a minute, a pained expression coming to his face, then pressed his hands into the arms of his chair and stood up. Despite knowing he was able to walk Caitlin was still surprised to see how tall he was when pulled to his full height. He reached out and placed his hand on Caitlin's cheek.

She wanted to pull away then stopped, reveling in the warmth that radiated from his hand.

"I don't want you to make a decision that you haven't thought completely through, Caitlin. I wasn't lying when I said I would back any decision you make. I don't want you to come to any rash decisions. For me or for Ronnie. It has to be a decision that you make on your own. You're strong; Caitlin and you've got a good head on your shoulders. Don't let anyone cloud that judgment."

Caitlin nodded and reached up for Harrison's hand. She placed hers over his, squeezing it, then gently pushed it off her face. Then she placed her hands on the cart once more and continued walking.

She didn't make it far until an ear-splitting pain shot through her head, making her fall to her knees and writhe with pain.

* * *

 **A/N:** For those of you that may not have seen it, the crossover my sisters and I have been working on is finally up. It's called _The Serenade of War_ (originally called "Flashpoint" but changed due to the massive arc with that title in the comics) and up on the FFN profile Crystal Manning. There will be lengths of time between updates as we work through writing, making sure things are on the right track, and editing/revision, but it has been started.

As for The Flash and the Flame series, I'm still taking votes for the title of the third story (that can be found in the last chapter) as well as working on the plot of the third story. Also, once this story is finished I'm going to go back through this and Flash Fire and fix some things as well as spruce up some typos and other issues that may have been changed between stories. (Thanks Life Dealer for that suggestion).

But, well, sad news that Barry and Cade already broke up but I feel like it makes sense for the situation the two are in and is a natural progression between the two. Not to mention their reasons for it made sense as well. What do you think? As you can tell I'm doing a multitude of show plots at one time so things will be jumping back and forth from time to time. And what do you think about what's going on with General Eiling and the Assassination Bureau?

Let me know what you think.

 **-Riles**


	34. Mental Therapy (2)

**.:34:.**

* * *

"Yuck, it smells down here."

"That's why they call it the sewer, numb nuts. If it smelled good they would have people walking around down here like it was a picnic or something."

Brady laughed at Conner's joke, tuning his flashlight this way and that. Of the many times he had watched _Godzilla_ and the _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ movies he imagined the sewer system to at least resemble the size of the New York's subways. It was smaller and definitely smelled much worse than the movies would've let him believe. He bit his lower lip, looking around. Conner shone his flashlight around a few times then turned in one direction, walking into the mouth of the tunnel directly off to their right.

Brady followed him and they started to troop through the damp tunnel. Brady's nose wrinkled as warm air hit him in the face rhythmically. Almost as if it were breathing towards them. "So what are we supposed to do when we find this gorilla anyway?"

"Take pictures, duh!" Conner shot back. "What did you _think_ we were going to do? Just find him and turn him into the police?"

"I don't know, trap him maybe." Brady shrugged. The two continued to walk along in silence for a few minutes before Brady spoke up with, "how are we supposed to find him? These sewers are really big?" To prove his point she shined the flashlight over towards another tunnel that branched off from their own. All of a sudden there was a low growling sound and Brady tilted his head to the side. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Conner came to a stop and turned to face Brady. He watched as the young metahuman turned this way and that, wildly shining his flashlight as he did so. "Brady, you're hearing things. Are you chicken?"

"No, I'm not chicken! I just thought I heard something. Sort of like a growl!"

"That must mean we're getting really close to finding the gorilla! C'mon, let's go!" Conner's eyes widened with excitement and he plunged down a dark tunnel. Brady ran after him, the beam of his light bouncing off the walls as he tried to catch up to his friend. Finally, they came to a screeching stop when they spotted two yellow helmets sitting on the ground. Almost like a child had discarded a toy as they had to leave to go home.

Frowning, Brady picked up a helmet. He turned it back and forth in his hands, examining the massive crack in the middle of the hardened plastic. Then he held it out to Conner, who shined his flashlight over it. The two stared at the splatter that surrounded the cracks in plastic.

"Is that blood?" Conner whispered.

"I hope so. Otherwise someone likes to keep their chocolate stash in a weird place."

"Why would anyone stash their chocolate in their helmet?"

"Well, I have a stash of my Halloween candy in a shoe in my closet. A hat's not that weird."

Conner smiled. "What do you think made the plastic crack like that?" He reached out his hand and knocked on the helmet. "It's pretty thick. It's like the one that the construction workers wear." He walked over to another one that was nearby and picked it up. This one had dents in it, almost as if the person who had been wearing it beat their heads against the wall.

Lifting his head, Brady turned his attention to the walls and shone his flashlight around. He tilted his head to the side as he studied the scratchings. It started out as if the person—or whomever was behind the markings—was learning to count or keeping track of something. And as time went on, the scratching started to form letters until the word 'Grodd' was repeated over and over again.

"What's a Grodd?" Brady questioned. He crossed his arms. "Is that supposed to be a name or something?"

"Or something, I've never heard of it before."

As soon as the words left Conner's mouth Brady froze; his shoulders shot up when he heard another low growl. This time he turned his gaze over to Conner and noticed the way his body suddenly became rigid. He had heard the same thing. Then there was a ear-splitting sound that rocketed between Brady's ears, making him slap his hands over them in case he could block it out. But he found as the seconds passed that the sound continued, almost as if it were coming from inside his head rather than outside it.

"Did…did you hear that?" Brad managed to stammer as soon as the sound subsided. Conner, his face now pale, nodded as he lowered his hands from his ears. He started to turn and then his eyes widened. Slowly, he started to raise his flashlight and stared right behind Brady. Conner swallowed hard and used his other hand to point behind him. "Brady…turn around."

Brady did as he was told, ever so slowly.

And as he turned he found himself face to face with his worst nightmare. The first thing he spotted was hairy legs with feet attached that resembled hands. Then, with a trembling hand, he slowly raised his flashlight until he found it pointed in the face of a large gorilla. It stared back at them, lips pulled back to reveal sharp fangs. It grunted as it stared down at the two young boys, eyes darting back and forth. Its hands stayed on the ground, the weight of the beast resting on its knuckles.

"It's…real…" Conner whispered.

Brady swallowed hard. "M-maybe we should—"

He was cut off as the gorilla leaned back and roared loudly, beating its fists against its chest. The roar of the beast caused Conner and Brady to finally speak in a volume louder than a meek whisper.

They screamed and screamed the longer the gorilla's bleat lasted. And they screamed again as they were suddenly lifted off their feet and flung into the wall of the tunnel behind them. Brady fell to the ground and scrambled to reach into his pocket for his slingshot. With trembling hands he managed to grab onto his weapon. Then he patted the ground for a rock or anything else that could be used as ammo. Placing it into the leather pouch he pulled the pouch back as far as he could and released it.

The gorilla growled again and Brady watched as the rock he had shot out stopped in mid-air and jolted back towards them. He ducked out of the way as it crashed into the wall behind them. It split the exposed brick in two.

"Brady, do something!" Conner cried, continuing to stare at the gorilla.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know; you're the one with the powers, not me."

 _But I still don't know how to control it,_ Brady thought. He trembled with fear, shaking so hard his muscles started to ache. He took a deep breath, licking his lips. "Ok. Run." Brady grabbed onto Conner's wrist and dragged him to his feet. Then he ran directly towards the gorilla and used his powers to phase directly through him. Without looking back the two continued to run, turning down the first tunnel they came across.

The boys didn't dare turn around to see how close the gorilla was behind them. Its frantic grunts and growls and heavy footsteps following them was a good enough sign to know he was following close behind them.

.

..

...

Barry nearly fell over as he came to a stop in the middle of STAR Labs with Cadence teleporting beside him. He and Cadence started to explain everything that had happened when they were in Starling City while Caitlin started to explain something all at the same time. Finally Barry stopped and asked, "What the what?"

"I was just about to say the same thing," Caitlin replied. She placed her hands on her hips. "What about Oliver not being the Arrow that was just called dead?" Her eyes then shifted around the cortex. "And where's Cisco?"

"I was just about to ask you where Ronnie and Professor Stein were," Cadence added. "Last I checked we weren't supposed to let them out of our sight. You know, in case they decided to head back to their houses or whatever."

"Do not worry Cadence, I make it my business to know where they are at all times," Harrison commented as he wheeled into the cortex. He pressed his fingers into the face of his cell phone and turned it around to show the two in their makeshift room in the medical bay.

Caitlin crossed her arms. "I don't know why he feels he has to lock them in but it's been something he's been practicing lately."

Harrison bobbed his head back and forth. "Yes, well, it seems much better than having ultimatums placed upon yourself. I choose to make decisions before they can turn into an ultimatum." With that, Caitlin lowered her gaze to the floor. "But you did bring up a very interesting questions, Dr. Snow. Where's Cisco and what was it about the Arrow that you found out?"

And so Barry explained everything that they had heard from Starling City; how Oliver, as the Arrow, was being framed for numerous murders amongst the city despite taking a vow not to kill anyone anymore. How Roy had decided to take his place as the Arrow so that Oliver wouldn't continue to be harassed by the Starling City police. How he had been taken to jail and beaten by Captain Lance, who insisted that he was not the Arrow, despite Ro's insistence that he was. How Roy was also using his time in jail as a way to repent from the police officer he had killed while under the influence of Mirakuru. How he had faked his death within jail so that Oliver could go free. And how he had just left Starling City to make a life of his own—as much of a life he could have by living under an assumed name.

"As for where Cisco is…" Barry said slowly.

He had watched Harrison as he explained what was going on with the Arrow. Now he knew for sure that Harrison was behind his mother's murder and any trust he had underneath the man was gone. Still, now wasn't the time to reveal everything he knew. Not when he still had to speak to Caitlin and Cadence about it. "He's…he's going to be here soon. He had some things he needed to finish." _Like briefing Joe over everything we know has been going on around here._

"He's, uh, he's…"

"I'm right here," Cisco said as he ran into the cortex, out of breath. Barry watched as he slowed to a stop and pressed his palms against his computer desk. He sucked in a deep breath, pressing a hand into his side. "God, this is one of the times where I really wish I was you, Barry."

"Trust me, you don't want to be me right now," Barry breathed.

Barry had to stop himself from asking him how he was able to get back to Central City around the same time he and Cadence did. Then his brain moved through warp drive over the events of the last couple of days. They had spent more time in Starling with Oliver, Felicity, and Diggle once Roy had left. Cadence had done as she was promised and explained to Thea what had been going on and was surprised to find that she knew of Oliver's real identity as well. Joe and Cisco had to have driven directly back to Central City with no stops.

And Barry sat back and watched, running different scenarios through his head of what would happen if he explained to Caitlin, Cadence, and Brady his findings of Harrison Wells. How was he supposed to take someone that was their mentor and his hero and just tear it down like that? Having the information and acting upon it were two completely different things.

"What were _you_ talking about, Caitlin?"

Before Caitlin could answer there was another shrieking sound that filled the air. Barry immediately cried out in pain, as pictures of medical instruments flashed through his mind. He couldn't figure out where they were supposed to be; but the sense of fear he felt with each picture flash increased tenfold. Finally, the screeching and the flashes went away.

"What the _what?"_ he repeated.

"That's what I was trying to tell you," Caitlin said breathlessly. She used both hands to shove her hair from her face. "That's happened twice already. Once just before you got here." She turned to her computer desk and her fingers rapidly moved over the keys. Multiple windows opened up on her computer, most importantly a tracking one. "Using the software we've created to determine where Barry and Cadence need to go in case of metahuman and non metahuman activities. Well, I'm not quite sure what to mark this one as."

The group turned towards the screen projection and watched as a few blips appeared on screen with one moving faster than the other. But the second being very close behind the first. Barry squinted as he leaned towards the screen.

"Where is this?" He demanded. "I don't recognize it."

"It's the sewer system, and these two blips are energy sources from metahumans. It's the way we track you guys while you're running around. There are other indicators if what we're looking at are created by normal humans, like a car chase." Caitlin swallowed hard and turned to face the two. "This one,"—she pointed to the dark gray blip—"is Brady."

"What?" Cadence asked. Her eyebrows furrowed together. As Barry watched he could see here expression change from fear to rage in almost a split second. "He's supposed to be at Conner's house, why would he be down in the sewers?"

"I don't know, but whatever is chasing him is a meta as well. _And_ according to the power signatures is the one that did that…mental attack on us."

"But what sort of a meta could do that?" Cisco broke in. "I know a lot of what we do is something we can and can't believe but a meta that has psychic powers? What would they have been doing at the time to get that as a power? Study for their finals?"

Harrison let out a low curse under his breath as he snapped his fingers. He turned his chair towards Cadence and stared hard at her, blue eyes boring into her own. "When you first got here, didn't you mention something about General Eiling?" It took a few moments for him to get Cadence's attention as she was still watching the monitor that tracked her son's movement. "Cadence, this is important?"

She closed her eyes for a moment before turning back to him. "Yeah, on the way back from Starling I had a dream where Lucas and Leah explained that General Eiling was going to stage a revolution of sorts of metahumans. He doesn't understand why metas can't live their own lives and use their powers for their own free will."

"That sounds exactly like something that Wade Eiling would want," Harrison commented. He started to rub his fingers with his thumb. "That means he may have something to do with this. When we were working together Wade wanted to study gene therapy experiements, mostly in the realm of psychic abilities like mind control. And the only test subject we had at the time was a silver-backed gorilla named Grodd. The experiments weren't too terrible, but then I saw what Wade truly wanted and I stopped him before it could get too far."

"Dr. Wells kept him here in STAR Labs and we continued to care for Grodd," Caitlin explained.

"But then the particle accelerator exploded and Grodd escaped." Harrison took off his glasses and gently tapped the arms of the frames against his chest. He looked wistful. "I guess the dark matter from the explosion affected him as well and he escaped down to the sewers to live away from humanity. Just so he could develop his powers."

"So that's the cage I saw when you were showing me around the first day," Barry realized. His mind raced a mile a minute as everything he learned about gorillas came to him once more. "If Grodd has metahuman abilities liked this Brady's in even more danger than he would be usually."

"Correct, Mr. Allen. He has added metahuman abilities but that doesn't mean he's managed to suppress the natural instincts that a gorilla has. Both of them together would be a terrible combination for anyone let alone someone who hasn't had much time to develop their powers."

"Let's go," Barry declared before he ran out of STAR Labs. As he moved he barely registered Caitlin and Cisco shouting after them to 'stop' because the 'didn't know what they were getting into'. Barry and Cadence arrived down into the sewers and the sounds of roars and screaming bombarded their ears, echoing from all directions.

Cadence brought her hands up to surround her mouth. "Brady!" She called. "Brady, where are you!?"

The screaming continued to rise and lower in volume as the seconds passed though the grunting and growls continued to increase. Brady reached out his hand and placed it over Cadence's mouth, backing up until they were flush against the tunnel wall behind them.

"Shh," he whispered, trying to concentrate on where the sounds were originating from. They continued to twist and turn as if coming from all directions at once. Or maybe even coming from inside his head. "Okay, what we need to do is flush Grodd out—"

Cadence pushed his hand off her mouth. "No, what we need to do is go in a full scale attack before he even knows we're coming and get Brady out of here."

"If we do that, that's going to put Brady in even more danger," Barry insisted.

"And having him run around and scream like that isn't going to help him either," Cadence shot back. Barry tightened his grasp around her wrist and looked her in the eye.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to him, I promise. But I'm not going to let anything happen to us, either. If Grodd can deal out a good attack mentally, then anything we put our physically may not help much. We need to get him out of here and then we can come back and figure out what to do with Grodd."

Cadence took a deep breath and nodded. "Fine. I trust you."

"Good." Barry knelt down and wrapped his arm around Cadence's waist and lifted her up so that he held her carefully in his arms. Cadence wrapped his arms around his neck and gave him a funny look saying, "you know I can teleport, right?" to which Barry shrugged and said, "Force of habit," before he tore off through the tunnels.

He followed the sounds of the growling and screams to the best of his abilities, changing directions whenever the time came, nearly stopping on a dime as he did so. Finally he came to a part of the sewer system where four tunnels came together to one area. Barry stopped and carefully let Cadence back to her feet. He grimaced as his shoes became soaked with the dirty water. Finally, the two heard the sound of footsteps heading their way accompanied by harsh breathing.

"Brady?" Cadence called.

"Mom!" Brady and Conner suddenly appeared out from a wall beside them and crashed into Cadence, grabbing onto her around the waist. The two spoke at once with Barry and Cadence only able to get the words 'Gorilla' and 'chase' out of them.

"Guys, guys, calm down," Barry tried to reassure them. "We're going to get you out of here okay?" He turned to leave then found himself unable to move. His feet were rooted to the floor. He looked over at Cadence and saw the stricken expression on her face and knew she was stuck as well.

Then he was lifted off his feet and flung backwards into the wall behind him. He cried out in pain and surprise at how quickly he was subdued as he fell to the ground. He looked up, eyes widening when he spotted a large, looming figure slowly moving towards him. Grodd blew out a breath as he slowly walked towards them.

 _"Grodd don't like tresspassers,"_ he said. Barry realized he was hearing the voice in his head and cried out as more flashes of medical instruments entered his mind once more.

Brady grabbed a handful of rocks from the murky water and shoved them into the pouch of his slingshot. Once again as he aimed them towards Grodd and let go, Grodd turned them back towards the group at high speeds.

"What do we do now?" Conner gasped as Grodd continued to move closer to them.

Barry wiggled his toes in his shoe, realizing the hold was taken off. Surfing to his feet with a bust of speed, Barry raced forward to attack Grodd. He managed to land a few solid blows before he was picked up by the leg and thrown aside by Grodd, who screeched all the while. Barry blinked as he was hung upside down as easily as a piece of paper, and flung around. Then Grodd released him on a back swing and he went flying towards another wall. Before he could collide with it, there was a burst of blue light. Barry felt himself caught before he was lowered to the ground and looked up in time to find a sudden rush of orange light accompanied by heat.

He looked over to find Cadence released from Grodd's hold—at about the same time the gorilla turned his attention to Barry. She leapt up and teleported above Grodd, sending a blast of fire down his back. He turned abruptly and shot out his arm, catching Cadence across the chest and sent her flying into a wall.

Reaching up, Barry pressed his fingers into the space on his suit directly above his ear. He heard a static sound in his ear, that let him know his communication link was open. "Dr. Wells, he's stronger than we thought. He can keep us paralyzed and move us around easily. No matter how fast I go he gets the upper hand." He held his breath, waiting for a response that deep in his gut he knew wouldn't come. "Dr. Wells?"

Cadence was knocked down again and Barry took his turn to leap up and put in another flurry of punches to Grodd. This time he managed to get in a few good hits that disoriented the gorilla, giving him the upper hand.

"Harrison?" Cadence called into her communication device. "Harrison, are you there?"

Barry gritted his theeth in anger, finding that he punched harder and harder as the seconds went. No response once again. Dr. Wells wasn't going to help them even if he knew the best way to subdue Grodd and to get out of the sewers. He continued to punch over and over again until Grodd lumbered backwards and sent another mental attack to him, slamming him hard to the ground.

Then Barry blinked in surprise as Firestorm flew by, sending out a stream of fire followed by a man in a metal suit, shooting blasts of energy into Grodd.

Grodd cried out angrily and backed away as Firestorm and the man in the metal suit continued to fly around the gorilla, striking it over and over. Finally, Grodd waved its arms as he continuously backed away until he lurched behind a tunnel wall and his grunts dissipated. Firestorm lowered himself to the ground alongside the man in the suit, who helped Barry and Cadence to their feet.

"You came just in time," Barry remarked to Firestorm.

"We couldn't let you go down here by yourself," Ronnie replied, though Barry was unsure if it truly was him speaking or if it were Professor Stein using Ronnie's body. "Not when he's shown to be powerful enough to hold you two still."

"Hey, he didn't do it alone," the man in the suit commented.

"They," Cadence corrected him. "But that's a long story." She eyed the man warily. "And you are?"

"Oh! Right! I guess it's that time that I introduce myself." The man in the suit reached up and pulled off his helmet. When his face was revealed, he smiled warmly at the group of strangers who gaped back at him. "Hi, I'm Ray. Ray Palmer. You may have heard of me, I own Palmer Tech."

"You mean Queen Industries," Barry corrected him.

Ray paused for a second, his smile still on his face, then pointed at Barry. "Actually, it's Palmer Tech now. I bought it from the Queen family. Or, well, I liquidated it from him. That's actually a long story, too." He looked around at the faces staring back at him and his smile waned a little. "Is this a bad time?"

.

..

...

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MINDS? DO YOU KNOW WHAT KIND OF DANGER YOU PUT YOURSELVES IN?! CAN YOU EVEN COMPREHEND THAT AT ALL?!"

Barry reached up and wiggled a finger in his ear as Cadence continued to holler at the top of her lungs as she had done for the past five minutes. Once they group had left the sewers and went back to STAR Labs Barry was quick to notice that Harrison was no longer at his office desk in the cortex. When he inquired Cisco and Caitlin about it Caitlin explained that he had gone to see if he could find General Eiling.

 _Yeah, right,_ Barry thought, exchanging a glance with Cisco. For a guy who was very secretive he was also really good at coming up with plausible lies. It was getting to the point that only a tiny part of Barry could believe it. But after receiving no help on the battlefield his anger overlapped his hope.

That was when Firestorm separated back into Ronnie and Professor Stein, the former who appeared to struggle catching his breath, hands on knees. "Okay, if we're going to do this, then we'll need to practice more."

"All the more incentive to convince these guys that we should not be continuously locked up," Professor Stein agreed. "Not to mention that not receiving an adequate amount of sunlight over time will do a majority of damage to the body."

"Okay, we get it," Caitlin said with a wave of her hand. "We can't keep using the excuse that no one can see you to keep you locked up as it were. If it wasn't for you guys going down there, these two may not have stood a chance against Grodd."

"Well, it's not like we ever expected there to be a meta-ape we'd have to come up against." Cisco paused for a moment as Barry rolled his head his way. Cisco sighed and held up his hands. "Okay, I _may_ have had the idea of creating a real-live version of Donkey Kong but that was still years away from being created."

"I can't believe that I'm standing in _the_ STAR Labs," Ray gushed, looking around the cortex. "I mean, I've always dreamed of coming here, of being able to see how things worked in Central City. But this is even more than I've ever imagined."

"It's good to have you here, Ray, but we're a little busy at the moment and—"

Ray cut Caitlin off. "—oh, don't I know it. But you have to explain to me how you managed to combine two people into one person with _fire_ powers? Or are these some of the things that our metahumans can do? I mean, Barry can move so incredibly fast and then Cadence over here, her fire power is spectacular. Though judging by what I've seen _technically_ these guys' fire wasn't really fire. But that's not important, why I'm here is." He waved his hands. "I know you've seen what's been going on in Starling City and I want to help. That's why I made my suit, but it's not completely done and I need your guys' help to finish it."

Barry rubbed his temples. He was starting to get a splitting headache and sitting on the secret that was bursting to get out wasn't helping matters. "We'll help you in any way that we can, but right now there's something that we need to talk about…"

And that was when Cadence started to unleash her fury on the young boys who, rightfully, cowered in fear away from her. Barry knew it was only a matter of time after having seen the look on Cadence's face when she saw her saw running away from a meta-ape. Not to mention any adult would be facing their nightmare of not being able to protect a little kid from something that could seriously hurt them. Even Barry felt a rush of fear race through his body when Caitlin explained what was going on.

Cadence then turned her wrath onto Conner. "And I don't care if you're not my kid; I'm going to yell at you, too! I'm sure as hell your mother would agree with my sentiments once she hears what happened!" She faltered for a second. "Or at least once she realizes that you're gone because I can't exactly tell her what happened!"

Finally, Cadence turned back to her son and firmly grabbed his arms, kneeling down to his height. "You are so grounded. Like 'Supersize' me grounded. To the point that when you're finally off punishment and are able to get your ass up off the ground there'll be a _butt print_ where you were formerly sitting. You got that?"

Brady nodded and let out a quiet, almost inaudible "Yeah…"

At that Cadence's face softened a little. But her eyes continued to hold tension. "And you know I'm only doing this because I love you and I was scared to death, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good, because I need you to listen carefully to me. Some of these guys…they don't care that you're just a kid. They _will_ kill you if and when they get the chance. Okay? They won't go easy on you at all. Powers or not you need to keep that thought in the back of your mind, okay?"

"Okay," Brady repeated.

"Okay," Conner echoed. "I'm sorry, Ms. Nash. It was my idea to go."

"I don't care whose idea it was, I'm just glad you're not hurt."

At that statement Barry closed his eyes and turned away, walking out into the hallway just outside the Cortex. Everything else was working out just fine and the one thing that he should've been happy to figure out was just making him sink deeper and deeper into despair.

"Barry, are you okay?" Feeling a hand on his shoulder he turned to find Caitlin looked up at him. Her brown eyes shone with pure concern. "You've been acting pretty weird lately. I'm starting to really worry about you."

"Yeah, man," Cisco muttered. He continued to glance back and forth from Barry to Caitlin and Cadence, who leaned against the wall behind him, watching Barry carefully. "You look like you're about to puke."

"That's the least of our worries right now." Barry ran his hands over his face and through his hair. He took a deep breath and cracked his knuckles. _Okay, Barry. You don't have a choice; you have to say it now._ "Especially because I don't know how much longer our team will stay together."

"What are you talking about, Tholly?" Cadence's expression was now one of intense confusion. She exchanged a glance with Caitlin to find the bioengineer had an identical expression. "We did the best we could."

"Yeah, without Dr. Wells," Barry pointed out.

"We can't always have him around when we need him, Barry," Caitlin pointed out.

"That's the point. I can't trust him to be around when we need him anymore. I can't…" Barry licked his lips and swallowed hard, readying himself for his admission. "I can't trust _him_ anymore. Not with my life in his hands. Not when I don't know what he's going to do."

Caitlin took a step towards him. "Barry, you're not making any sense. Where is this coming from? When have you not been able to trust Dr .Wells to guide you in pushing forward with your powers?"

"Ever since I found out he had something to do with my mother's death," Barry explained. He looked Caitlin and Cadence in the eye. "Harrison Wells is the Reverse Flash."

.

..

...

One minute General Eiling was watching his co-workers finalize some his plans and the next thing he knew he was down in the sewers, being flung to the ground. He crashed into a pool of murky water and sputtered, pushing himself upwards.

Flipping around he found the Reverse-Flash standing behind him, red eyes glowing as he stared at the man. He then reached up and pulled his hood off, revealing Harrison's face underneath, to which General Eiling gaped at.

"Well Wade," Harrison said, squatting down in front of him. "It looks like you've gotten yourself into a little predicament."

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for the wait on a chapter and I also apologize for it being a bit short. But not having written for this for a few weeks I found it a tiny bit difficult to get back. But at least Barry told the others now. But we'll see what goes on now that everyone's suspicions are out.

I had this brought to my attention/asked this in a series of PM's/reviews I've had with someone and I wanted to bring it up here. The reason that _Flash Fire_ and _Crossfire_ take episodes of the show and twist and turn them every now and then/don't directly follow episodes is because it's against FFN rules. Taking a complete episode and writing it word-for-word and just adding in another character who takes some of the lines or even says a few different lines is considered plagiarism on FFN and your story can be taken down for it/your account suspended/deleted. So to avoid that I take the general idea of them and change some of the lines/change some of what happens to remedy it.

Also, I don't believe that if this were all happening in real life that everything would be so linear, which is why the second half of the first season (highlighted in this story) is happening simultaneously or at different times. If that turns you away from the story then I'm sorry, but I'm not going to risk having my hard work taken down over it.

Also **,** for those of you that may not have seen it, the crossover my sisters and I have been working on is finally up. It's called _The Serenade of War_ (originally called "Flashpoint" but changed due to the massive arc with that title in the comics) and up on the FFN profile Crystal Manning. There will be lengths of time between updates as we work through writing, making sure things are on the right track, and editing/revision, but it has been started.

 **-Riles**


	35. Losing Control (3)

**.:35:.**

* * *

Caitlin rested her fingertips against her forehead, the skin between her eyebrows folding together with the pressure. It was hard; trying to wrap her mind around everything she had just been told. Especially since it made as much sense as it didn't. A part of her believed Barry; he wouldn't give his opinion on the situation, wouldn't have said anything if he didn't believe it was the truth. But another part of her couldn't imagine believing it was true; why would the person who wanted to help him progress want to hurt him so badly.

"Caitlin, I know this is hard to hear—"

"No, Cisco, it's not that," Caitlin insisted, shaking her head. She took a deep breath and started to rub her temples, a pounding starting to form. "It's…it's everything." She looked up as Cisco moved and sat down by her side, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Barry's telling the truth, Cait," he said gently. "Joe and I even went to Starling to figure some things out and it was basically proven there. That car accident that he was in that killed Tess…I know it's hard to believe this but I've been…seeing things. I saw this, I don't know, alternate life of something, where I went down to where we tried to trap the Reverse-Flash during Christmas and he killed me."

Caitlin lifted her head and looked at the side of Cisco's face. This was the first time she was hearing this. "You _saw_ it?"

"It's hard to explain, but I get these flashes of things, like I've seen then before. I saw that happen and Barry and Joe…they have good reasons to believe this is true." He shook his head. "I don't want to believe it. Harrison has been a father figure to me for so long, but I don't have a choice but to. It's all.." he trailed off and changed the subject. "And I know this is hard for you, Cait, because of what's going on between you too—"

"—Nothing's going on between us," Caitlin said quickly, almost numbly. She was surprised Cisco was able to hear her, she mumbled so much. Her eyes closed and intense emotion crashed into her like a wave breaking against the rocks. "Nothing _can_ go on between us. I can't, Cisco—" now she took another breath. "Cisco, I knew Harrison could walk. He can walk; he's been able to for a longtime."

Cisco blinked rapidly and Caitlin briefly wondered if he was trying to remove an eyelash from his eye rather than absorbing her information. Then _he_ brought his fingers up to his temples and rubbed them. "What?" His tone was flat and Caitlin winced.

She hadn't wanted to keep it a secret for so long but she also had no idea how to tell the others and Harrison had asked her to stay quiet. Harrison had asked her to lie to everyone else. Harrison…she shook her head. Harrison had made her feel like a fool; if he lied about things from the very beginning what about his relationship with her—even thinking the word made her skin crawl—was real?

"He can walk, Cisco. He doesn't need a wheelchair. He's never needed one. Well, he needed it at first but now he doesn't and he has the Reverse Flash's suit stored somewhere—"

"Then that means we're right!" Cisco leapt to his feet. "We have to tell Barry."

Caitlin shook her head. "We don't know if we're right as far as him being the Reverse-Flash, Cisco, just that he wasn't as injured as he originally told us." She swallowed hard, on the verge of tears. Guilt was a bastard of an emotion. It did nothing but continue to grow, even whatever was causing said guilt was relieved. _I should've told them,_ was the guilty thought that plagued Caitlin.

She should've told them about Harrison when she first found out. She should've told them he could walk, that he was lying about his injury, that she was lying for him, that she was his accomplice in a way. Oh God…she had kissed him, felt for him, slept with him. And all the while Ronnie had been affected by the Particle Accelerator explosion to the point that he was homeless and it had ruined the life of Martin Stein as well. And all Ronnie wanted was to have the life they should've had before the explosion and for them to leave Central City to have that life.

With her.

She couldn't fault him for it, he hadn't asked to become a metahuman, he had just tried to protect her and things ended up that way. He wanted the life back he had lost, but she had moved on and found her purpose with STAR Labs, Cisco, Harrison, Barry, Brady, and Cadence. It hurt to see he wanted to leave and she wouldn't go with him.

 _Maybe, I should have…_

"I trusted him, Cisco," Caitlin whispered. "We all did. I tried to think that he had a good reason for keeping his being able to walk a secret. That he was trying to help motivate Barry this whole time. He asked me not to tell and I didn't say anything and now this happened." She shook her head. "I can't imagine if Barry's right, that he really did murder his mother and if I helped in some way…"

"You didn't."

"I did. By not saying anything…"

"You just did what you were always taught to do Cait. Trust people you love. I mean, I don't know how far your feelings for Dr. Wells goes. I mean, if you want to share that information you could, I'm always here to listen…I kind of want to know for myself." Cisco stopped his rambling when Caitlin glared at him and he quickly got back on track. "None of this if your fault."

Caitlin closed her eyes and nodded. He could say that all he wanted, maybe it was the truth. But it was hard to believe. She dealt with facts and the facts were saying she messed up believing in someone who promised every everything he managed to deliver.

"We're going to figure out what to do, Cait. Joe gave the perfect idea, who need to figure out how to lure him into a trap and get some answers, if we go in blind it'll just tip him off that we're on to him and then we'll get the upperhand."

"Does he have a plan already?"

"Well, the first one was to not tell you or Cade and we know how that turned out," Cisco said with a half smile. His eyebrows then came together and he turned to look over his shoulder. He glanced into the hallway that led to the empty pipeline pod Caitlin had gone to as soon as Barry revealed his suspicions to her. "Speaking of which, we should see how that's going."

Caitlin nodded, chewing her lower lip. That was probably a really good idea. Having news like that thrown in her face was hard enough for Caitlin, Barry and Cade couldn't have been doing so well either. She glanced over at Cisco who appeared calm and felt a sudden rush of intense admiration for him. For someone who was always making references to pop culture events—betrayals within comics and other forms of superhero lore were among the best he spoke about—but to read it and live it were two completely different things.

And here he was, comforting her.

He did a lot more than anyone gave him credit for.

Caitlin nodded once more and got up along with Cisco and headed back towards the cortex. She and Cisco could hear Barry's and Cadence's arguing voices before they came close to the two. From the rapid fire way their words came out as well as brief pauses every now and then Caitlin could tell they had the same thought Cisco and Caitlin had. If it were true they didn't want to tip Harrison off that he knew they were coming for him.

Their whispers were as harsh as a cold wind blowing on a winter's day. Caitlin practically felt the temperature drop as they continued to move closer. She could hear Barry's frantic voice now, whisper tinged with desperation

"Cade, you're not listening to me! I know it's hard but you need to listen to what I'm saying. The Reverse Flash...Harrison Wells, killed my mother!"

It was less than a second that Cadence responded and Caitlin could hear she was as irritated and scared as Barry was. "I get that Barry, I do! And I feel for you, it hurts to see how much you miss her. But you only lost your mother once! I can't listen to what you're saying because if what you're saying is true...then I'm going to lose my dad twice."

The conversation ended there and seconds later Cadence stormed by Cisco and Caitlin nearly leaving a burning path in her wake. Cisco squeezed Caitlin's arm, letting her know he was going to see if Cadence was okay, quietly asking if Caitlin was alright. Caitlin nodded back and continued towards Barry, knowing he had to be hurting just as badly.

"Hey," She said quietly, moving towards him. Barry who had been running a hand through her hair, turned towards her. His face softened and he cleared his throat.

"Hey," Barry replied. His eyes searched her face as he asked, "How are you holding up?"

She smiled a little. That was Barry alright, the news of Harrison's true identity had to hurt him more than the others combined. If what he said was true then his entire life had been ruined because of a man that pretended to like him, pretended to be a confidant, pretended to be a mentor and father figure to the young man when he wanted nothing more than answers.

She didn't know how he did it. Caitlin gently shook her heard. "I don't know how I'm doing, Barry. I don't know how _you're_ doing, how you can sit here and care about the rest of us when this should be hurting you the most."

He shrugged. "I don't have time to think about myself, I don't think I have the energy. I just… _we_ need to come up with a plan to get him out of here. I need to focus on that." He looked away for a minute, suddenly appearing very interested in the pattern of the floor. There was no pattern on the floor. "I don't think I can do anything but that."

 _I know how he feels,_ Caitlin thought. And she made sure Barry understood as well, "When Ronnie died I became frozen. I didn't think there was anything else to live for. And there were many other moments throughout the time we've been working together to save Central City where I've had the same thoughts. What was the point? How could I move on? But over time you've helped me realize that being stuck, being frozen in time wasn't going to help _you_. With discovering the extent of your abilities, Barry, we're a team. And I can't help the team if I'm frozen. Neither can you."

Barry nodded back. He continued to keep his gaze on the ground. Caitlin walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked at her curiously and she held out her arms. "You look like you could use a hug," She commented.

A light chuckle escaped his lips. "I can never turn down a hug." He wrapped his arm around her and held her tightly. "Thanks, Caitlin."

"You're welcome, Barry."

.

..

...

Harrison stretched his arms over his head as he came to a stop within the sewers. Then he leaned forward and rubbed his lower back, deftly pressing his fingers into the fabric of his yellow and red suit. Sitting down for so long was really starting to take its toll on him. But that was part of the point, the biggest part of his plan that would help him figure everything out. Besides, by the way things were progressing he would be able to reveal his intentions soon.

Sooner than he anticipated, especially with Tess back in the picture now. He closed his eyes for a brief moment. Tess. The sound of her name made something within him stiff, much like the same way a kitten purred in delight at being scratched a certain way. He hadn't known what it was like to lose that feeling until it came back full force. Maybe he'd take advantage of it, it'd be a pretty nasty shock when she found out the truth of things. As it was, he would need to be leaving soon if he had anything to say about it.

The only thing standing in his way, as it were, was General Eiling. Of course, there was _always_ something going on with Wade. He should've seen it coming sooner to do something about it. Then again, for what he knew of the future, he couldn't have things happen at the wrong time or else it would create disastrous results.

General Eiling glared at Harrison as he walked into the open area of the sewer where he continued to be tied to a ladder that stretched up and disappeared into the shadows on the ceiling. Harrison chuckled and squatted in front of him once more. Reaching out, Harrison ripped the tape away from General Eiling's mouth, causing the graying man to wince.

"I'm sure you're very uncomfortable with this tape but as long as I've known you, you don't tend to stop talking," Harrison commented. He glanced down at the tape stuck to his fingers and flicked it away. "Not to mention you have a nasty streak of redemption within you that can't otherwise be tamed so I'd rather not run the risk of losing my fingers."

"I don't know what it is you're planning, Wells—"

Harrison's smug smile dropped and an expression of fury replaced it. He took a breath through his nose, looked away for a moment, then looked back to General Eiling. "Please, while within our own company call me Eobard Thawne. Harrison Wells isn't here anymore." Then he paused, bringing a hand up to lightly tap his chest. "Well, I believe that's not entirely true. He's here, he's always been here. It's just a matter of whether or not I want to let him out from time to time."

A chuckle escaped his lips. "Let me tell you, though, my doctors seem to have a field day with my medical records. Part of the time it appears that I have every allergy under the sun and that my eyesight is bad, I blame that on Harrison. But there were times where my allergies were very manageable, I'm at peak physical condition—as much as I can be for someone in a wheelchair—and my eyesight is amazing." He waved a hand. "That's the price to pay when I take over someone else's life but I had no choice, things needed to move faster."

"What's that supposed to mean?" General Eiling ground out, one eye swollen shut, a bruise down the side of his face, and his arms tied behind his back. "I know things were strange with you, Harrison. But not this strange."

Harrison let out a short, annoyed breath between his teeth. He pulled off his glasses and tucked them in the front of his suit. He could see just fine for now."Yes, I believe this would be hard to figure out. Just know that you're not the one in charge here, I am."

"And what is it that you want, Harrison?" Eiling ignored the fury that flashed through Harrison's blue eyes. He knew he had the upper hand in the situation. If Harrison wanted to get rid of him there was nothing else that Harrison could use to his advantage for information. He didn't believe the Assassination Bureau would be stupid enough to make their plans known at the moment. Not when one of them was closer to Harrison than he thought.

"I want to know everything you know," Harrison explained. He stood up to stretch out his legs. That took only one second for the pain in his muscles to dissipate. "More importantly, I want to know why you were chasing down Bette, what plans you had for her, if you continue to have plans for her, and what is it that you're doing in Central City right now."

"So you're telling me you haven't figured all of this out yet?" A smug smile came to General Eiling's face. "I believe you're losing your touch, Harrison. Normally it was like you could read my mind."

"More like see the future."

"I'll believe that. I believe there are a lot of strange things about you, Harrison. I'm sorry; you wanted me to call you Eobard. I must commend you, you always have a way to know what's going to happen before it happens and have an answer for everything. Why don't you tell me the answer this one?"

 _Interesting…_ Harrison tilted his head to the side, an almost calm expression on his face. Then he pursed his lips and bared his teeth. Throughout that movement there was a sudden flash of a cleft in Harrison's chin, making him resemble another man compared to the docile natured scientist Eiling knew before. _This man is smarter than I gave him credit for._ "You didn't show up again until Firestorm made his appearance so I believe there is something there you want. And then Cadence"—he had to stop and swallow hard, suddenly feeling a sharp pain in his heart—"mentioned you're trying to make some sort of a metahuman revolution."

"Revolution wouldn't be the word I would use. Uprising, maybe, a new source of government, maybe. Not a revolution." Eiling started to speak in a strong tone, strange compared to the weak position of his body. "We're not supposed to stop these metahumans, Harrison, we're supposed to help them nurture their powers and figure out a way to use them to our advantage. Become hometown heroes. Become a force that should be reckoned with."

"You always did have a military mindset, Wade," Harrison said. He turned his back to Eiling and took a deep breath. When he turned back around it was as if looking at a different person. The facial structure and facial features were exactly the same of the man Eiling had known for years; however he looked like a complete stranger. "You think I'm doing this for my health? I have to stop you because I _know_ what will happen. Your version of the future and mine are two completely different things and I'm not going have you ruin that."

"Harnessing the Firestorm project doesn't equate a terrible future," Eiling insisted. "Think of the sort of military we could now have, the military we can bring to other countries. This could be a way to create world peace and if we can figure that out with project Firestorm then why not take the chance?"

"I'm sorry, that's a chance I can't risk. Not when it means that it's risking my home," Harrison commented. He took a step back and waved an arm out towards an opening in the sewer line that led to the room. Eiling's earnest expression was wiped clean when there was a low, growling sound steadily moving towards them. "Though I must commend you on still being the same man I can count on you to be."

"You don't know what you're doing Harrison," Eiling spat. "You don't know what you're giving up!"

"Oh believe me, I do. I know everything you want to do and I know how it'll play out. It's a side effect from all of the choices I've made in my life thus far. I tend of have a sort of a sixth sense about these things." He walked over to Eiling and slapped his hand down onto the man's shoulder, squeezing it tightly. Eiling managed a few seconds before he winced with pain, making Harrison smile. "It's such a shame that things have to work out this way. But I'm not going to let you stand in my way."

The low growling sound came once more and Harrison looked over his shoulder as the lumbering figure moved into the room. His smile was almost sadistic as he turned back to Eiling, who stared at the figure behind Harrison's, slowly tilting his head back as he took in the massive size.

"I believe you remember, Grodd," Harrison commented. He crossed his arms. "He sure does remember you and the experiments you've continued to inflict upon him when he wasn't in the position to express his pain."

"Go to hell, Harrison!" Eiling spat.

"I'm sure I'll be there soon, but at the moment I'm much too busy." He turned to race from the room and made it few feet, red streaks shooting out behind him before he came to a sudden stop. He paused, taking in everything from his sense; the smell of the sewer, the feeling of the scratchy concrete wall beneath his fingers, the taste of the stale air on his tongue, and the sound of water trickling in the distance.

Harrison frowned.

His eyesight was starting to blurry once more.

He was losing control.

.

..

...

"Sit there and don't move until Ryder comes to get you."

"Okay."

Cisco looked at Cadence funny as she turned back to some papers on her desk. He took a step into her office, knocking on the door gently. "Are you talking to me or him?" He joked, motioning over to Brady, who sat quietly in a chair in the corner of the room.

Brady looked up and smiled a little at Cisco before turning back to what was obviously his homework. Cadence gave Cisco a passing glance, looking at her computer screen once more. "I was talking to him," she said nodding over to her son.

"Mom's mad at me," Brady whispered.

"I'm not mad at you," Cadence snapped.

Now Cisco raised an eyebrow as he stepped further into the room. The tension radiating from the office he could feel as soon he walked into CCPD headquarters. Then again, it was difficult to go near there or STAR Labs now that they all knew of Harrison's potential betrayal. Still, there wasn't anything that had shown they couldn't trust him. Despite Caitlin's confession, there was a part of her that was still quick to defend him with what he had done for them so far.

 _if I hadn't been to Starling City I wouldn't believe it either,_ Cisco reminded himself. Harrison was his father more than his own father was and now to know he was the one that brought them together as well as to tear them apart. Fear continued to plague him whenever he fell asleep, seeing the evil grin on Harrison's face as he relived the day he died. Almost as if he was another person.

Cisco took himself out his thoughts as he looked around at the walls of Cadence's office. So far there wasn't much that was put up other than a few pictures. He smiled when he saw the picture of him and the rest of the STAR Labs team set up on her desk. Then it faded when he realized how close their team was to falling apart due to secrets and lies that were hurting everyone.

Then she turned her gaze to Cisco, glaring at him for a second. "And before you ask, I'm not mad at Barry either."

"I wasn't going to ask," Cisco said defensively, holding his hands up. "Then again, I'm not sure about Barry but even I know saying something like…" he trailed off, glancing at Brady, who wasn't paying attention. "Like what he told us isn't something that many people actually _want_ to hear. And wouldn't help much in terms of dating."

"I'm not dating Barry, Cisco," Cadence explained. She rubbed her face. "Now would be the _worst_ time for that. Is this what you came to talk to me about? Because I'm not sure if you remember, but I have a lot of work I need to go before Captain Singh is down my ass. I've been behind since we went to Starling earlier this week."

"How far behind can you get in a few days?" Cisco asked.

"Enough," Cadence replied. Her eyes shifted behind Cisco and she sat up straight in her seat, suddenly smiling sweetly. "Captain Singh, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, Candace, you can help me by getting the files I need. I'm sorry if I'm cutting in this little pow-wow that you have going on but I granted you the time you needed to leave so please don't waste my time." Captain Singh then turned to Cisco and looked him up and down. "What do you want?"

"You know, Captain Singh, I've helped ou the CCPD a few times now," Cisco started. He clasped his hands together. "And I was sort of wondering if there was a chance that I could, I don't know, get some sort of a medal or maybe even a room—"

"—don't press your luck, Cisco!" Captain Singh cut him off, causing Cisco to nod and stake a step away from the short, angry man. "And tell Mr. Allen that I need him to catch up on some things, too. We're falling really far behind and there continue to be strange cases going on around here. I don't need him, Thawne, _and_ Joe distracted."

Cisco nodded like a bobble head as Captain Singh left the room. Then he turned back to the fire metahuman with a raised eyebrow. "Candace?" He questioned.

"Yeah, somehow he doesn't seem to remember my name at all. But at least he knows who you are, Cisco." She cleared her throat and leaned back in her seat once more. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

"To talk," Cisco said. He crossed the room and sat down in the seat across from her. "This isn't easy for any of us you know, we're all being betrayed by this."

"I know," Cadence said calmly. She looked away from him. "And I know I'm being incredibly selfish but to know that practically every little thing in my life is a lie? And to know that if this is true and it's happening to you guys too? I don't know if I'd ever be able to face him."

"That might be what he's counting on," Cisco pointed out. "To know that you wouldn't be able to go against him if something ever happened. That way he would have Barry all to himself." He lowered his voice as Brady turned a page in his book and frowned, staring at the math problems that looked back at him. "But if we're going to stop him we'll need yours _and_ Brady's help." Cadence didn't respond. Cisco licked his lips. "Look, I know what you're feeling. I've had this suspicion about him since I've had these flashes where…where he killed me."

Now Cadence looked at him sharply.

"I didn't want to believe it was true but I keep seeing it. And if what happened there is true, then Barry's telling the truth. And we need to find a way to destroy him."

Cadence thought for a minute, then shook he head. "Not destroy him," She said. "Capture him. We need to capture him." Cisco's eyebrows furrowed when he noticed something strange flicker through her eyes. Almost as if they suddenly came alive once more. "I can't…I don't think I can…"

"It's alright, I get it." Cisco reached out and grabbed onto Cadence's wrist. "I don't think I'd be able to do more than that, either. But we have to stick together on this. It's going to be hard to prove, especially since we have to act like everything is normal until we have one hundred percent truth."

"But knowing him he already knows we're onto him. One thing I definitely learned from him is to always know everything about your opponent. Chances are he's going to be one step ahead of us."

"Again, not unless we stay as normal as possible."

Cadence gave a hint of a smile and twisted her hand around so that she held his as well. "You already have a plan don't you?"

Cisco gave a determined smile. "I have many plans within my repertoire. I like to keep ahead in case something happens with, say, the Rogues, or a wayward metahuman. I didn't think I'd need to add a psychic gorilla to our list." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, scrolling through it for a few seconds. "Okay, so are we thinking _Saving Private Ryan_ or _Home Alone_ for our inspiration?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Thank you for being so patient with me you guys. Not only had I been dealing with writers' block lately but I had also been traveling a bit so I didn't have a lot of time to write. So now that I'm back I have a bit of a filler chapter than usual but it moves things along. And with the news that The Flash is going back into production on Wednesday and hearing that Tom Felton is now on the show, it's gotten me back into gear to write for The Flash.

Hopefully I'm at least writing the story about season 2 before the third season starts airing though. Lol! So now we've got some Snowbarry and Ciscade friendship moments that I haven't really shown a lot through these last few chapters/within this story.

Hope you guys like the chapter.

 **-Riles**

 **PS -** As you can probably guess, this isn't the last you'll see of their reactions to Harrison's (potential) betrayal. Since I know their reactions were a bit lackluster here. And check out my sisters' and my crossover _The Serenade of War_ as well as go back a few chapters to take a vote on the sequel title.


	36. Revealing Secrets

**.:36:.**

* * *

Barry took in a deep breath and launched himself forward, throwing out his fist as he did so. It was going to connect this time; he was going to send a strong punch hat would prove he knew what he was doing when he didn't have his speed factored in. He would become a good fighter so that it would aid him in his crusade against the metahumans that were destroying his city. He was going to finally be in enough shape to take down the Reverse-Flash with ease. He was going to—

-end up flat on his back, staring at the ceiling, with the wind knocked out of him.

Barry struggled to take in a breath as he heard Cisco sarcastically slow cap somewhere behind him. He wanted to stand up and give him a glare and the finger, but found that the rest of his body couldn't move either. There was a low sigh and he heard Caitlin shift in her seat, trying to resist the urge to go over and see if he was okay.

He was fine; they weren't using their powers so he would heal within a few seconds if not minutes. Besides, it was his pride that was bruised more than his actual body.

His eyes shifted upwards as Cadence face appeared above his. She looked like she was trying not to smile. He understood that. It was hard for them to act like everything was normal for them when they were potentially working alongside a killer. Someone who had lied to them more than they could imagine if what they said was true. At the moment that was the problem; finding out proof that would place him at the scene of the crime.

So far there was a layer of tension around them they were trying hard not to break, like a soap bubble begging to be popped. Still squatting over him, Cadence wrapped her arms around her knees and tilted her head to the side.

"You know I never noticed it before," she remarked. "But you have some really long eye lashes."

Barry let out a breath, resting his hand on his stomach. "It's not funny," he said.

Cadence quickly changed the subject. "You were closer that time," She remarked. "But I can still see where you're going to strike next." She reached out her hand and grabbed onto his, pulling him up with limited struggle.

Okay, so she had to shuffle her feet along the ground to get enough traction to pull him back up—being so short compared to him didn't help matters. But when he was on his feet once more, she tightened the sweatshirt that was tied around her waist then placed her hands on her hips.

"Every time you're about to come at me, I can see where you're going because your eyes are going everywhere." She waved her hands by her head to prove her point. "So you can find an opening to attack. You can't do that. That's how all of the others always managed to beat you. That's how the Reverse-Flash always knows where you're going to go."

Barry shook his head, trying to catch his breath. He still couldn't breathe, but he had to defend himself a little. The only reason he looked around so much like that was when he was backed into a corner with no way out but to rely on his speed. His eyes moved as fast as the rest of his body did, right? They didn't notice it did they?

"Yes, Barry, you do," Cadence insisted. "Or else you wouldn't have just ended up on the practice mat like that." She and Barry both turned towards Caitlin and Cisco to appeal to them.

Caitlin grimaced a little, wringing her hands together. "I mean, well…Barry…" she turned towards Cisco, lowering her voice. "My Mom and Dad always told me I'm not supposed to lie. What am I supposed to say?"

Cisco gave Caitlin an incredulous glance. "You're twenty-six years old and you don't ever lie?" He crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. "So when you and Ronnie were together you never lied to him once?"

"I'm sure she's lied to him about something," Cadence muttered. Barry heard her joke and the two started to laugh. Caitlin turned and glared at her and the fire metahuman held up her hands defensively. "I didn't say about what, your mind supplied it for you."

Now Caitlin crossed her arms, jutting out her chin defiantly as well. "I'll have you know that when you're in a relationship like the one Ronnie and I had, you don't keep secrets from each other. So, no, I never lied to him."

She then lowered her gaze and Barry was sure he knew she was thinking about their relationship now. How they were acting like complete strangers around each other. Caitlin told him how Ronnie had asked her to leave Central City and how they hadn't spoken much since the conversation. And he knew how things were between her and Harrison at the moment…and she hadn't said anything afterwards since Barry told her about his suspicions. Just another conversation topic they were trying to avoid in case something went wrong.

"Wow, that _had_ to be boring," Cisco remarked.

He turned back to Barry and Cadence, resting his hands on the railing of the balcony he and Caitlin were sitting on, missing Caitlin make a face behind his back. "Anyway, back to what's important. Why don't you two try it with your powers this time? I think throwing Barry around on these practice mats is starting to get a little old. I want to see some fireworks!" He rubbed his hands together eagerly.

Finally, Barry regained his breath and he motioned over to Cadence. "I don't even see why we're doing this; you're not even a fighter."

Cadence placed a hand on her chest. "Well excuse me for trying to help. I know I'm not a fighter; I'm a gymnast and I'm _your_ physical therapist. Either way, I'm still stronger than you. But at least I don't give away everything just from my eyes. Mask or no mask, you wear your heart on your sleeve." She held up her hand and it burst into flames. "And you're going to pay for that one."

Hearing the challenge in her voice, Barry turned back to her, lightning flashing throughout his eyes. "Bring it on," he replied.

He took a step back and shot forward, being careful to keep his eyes on Cadence's face so that he didn't give away where he was going to strike first. That's what he was telling himself anyway. Barry came to a stop right in front of her and started to rapid-fire punch her, using his speed as leverage. Cadence backed away a few steps to give herself space and teleported, releasing a cloud of smoke in his face. Barry turned his head aside, starting to cough.

Cadence appeared behind him and kicked his back, sending him flying to the ground. She then brought up her hands and punched forward in a flurry of shifting hands, sending out small blasts of fire with each punch. Barry curled himself up into a ball, feeling the heat that radiated off the blast that shot overheard, nearly hitting him. He groaned again, feeling the singe on his unprotected skin. Rolling backwards, he watched as Cadence slid along the ground, swinging up her arms and sent a cloud of smoke in his direction. Under the cover of smoke, Cadence leapt towards him.

Barry tucked and rolled to the side and heard Cadence land where he had previously been and got back to his feet. Barry then grasped her arm and pulled hard, arching her through the air and onto the practice mat. She rolled to the side and flipped back to her feet. Barry got back to his and the two charged towards each other once more, throwing a punch at the same time, his hand covered in electricity and hers covered in flames.

Their fists collided and the blow from the combined attacks knocked them away from each other with an accompanying bright light; almost like a lightning bolt. Tumbling head over heels, Barry rolled backwards until he crashed into the wall behind him. Stars exploded in front of his eyes and he brought his hands up, rubbing them as hard as he could to get them to go away. Finally he regained his composure and stood up, mouth dropping open and letting out an incredulous laugh.

"Whoa, what was that?" He asked.

"I have no idea," Cisco replied. His face held an expression of awe as well, arms straight up in the air. "But that was awesome! Oh, I haven't seen anything as cool as that since the Supersonic Punch, baby!" Finally, he lowered his hands to his head. "I have to write this down. I have to see how it was done. We need to recreate this. For science of course," he added.

"Right," Caitlin said with a roll of her eyes. "Everything you do is 'for science'." She used air quote around the words then twisted her mouth to the side as she thought about it. "Even your obsession over trying to figure out what made some people more successful in speed dating than others was 'just for science'."

"Hey, I came back from that with a great paper that I hope is published one day," Cisco defended himself.

"And yet, no date."

"That's still a work in progress."

"Seriously, guys, what was that?" Cadence pulled herself to her feet as well, wiping off her hands on the seat of her shorts. Then she glanced at her palms and back over to Barry. "Remember when we were getting your Dad out of jail? It's happened then, too."

"Right, and some other times in battle," Barry added. He turned to Cadence and hesitantly held out his hand. Cadence did the same and they continued to stretch their hands until their fingers touched where there was another bright light and Barry felt a warm jolt move up his arm. He pulled his hand back and shook it out.

"Does it hurt when that happens?" Cisco asked, rapidly moving his thumbs over his phone to take notes.

"Not really, it's more like a feeling when your hand falls asleep," Cadence replied.

Barry stopped shaking out his hand and examined his fingertips. Nothing to prove that there was anything that had just happened. Just the same as the last time it had happened.

"Does this happen every time you touch each other or just when you're using your powers?" Cisco continued.

"If it happened every time they touched each other then they wouldn't be able to be in close proximity," Caitlin explained. She motioned to Cisco and the two left the balcony they had been watching from. "I've had this theory for a while…Barry and Cadence are able to have their powers combine when they use Cadence's ability of pyro-electrokinesis…what if they're powers were created to work together?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…let's say electricity or lightning is the basis of Barry's powers. Electricity at its core is really just charged particles which, looking even further, is a source of heat. Barry and Cadence have used their powers together before but what if they're _supposed_ to be used together and maybe used as a way to charge each other. Like when they're weak."

Barry snapped his fingers. "Like when we were fighting against the Assassination Bureau and the Suicide Squad. I didn't feel like we could stop them, like I was _strong_ enough to stop them, until we started using our powers together."

Cadence nodded in agreement. She turned back to Barry and held out her hand again. Barry grabbed onto it and tried to hold on to see what would happen. As the seconds passed a ball of light started between them and continued to grow as the seconds passed. Barry felt his arm start to shake as the pins and needles feeling continued between his body. He looked at Cadence's face and saw she was concentrating just as hard as he was, then the feeling of energy became too much and when the two let go it was like they were blasted apart.

"How do you feel?" Caitlin asked as soon as the two let go.

Barry placed a hand on his chest, eyebrows coming together. There was no mistaking it, he definitely did feel stronger. Almost as if he hadn't used any energy at all. "I feel stronger," he said. He turned back to Cadence and saw her worried expression. "What about you?"

"…I'm okay," She added after a second. "Kind of dizzy, though."

Cisco's thumbs now flew over his pone. "I guess it doesn't work both ways then. They can use their powers together but Barry is the only one that can actually be recharged by it. So I guess that's something else we can use against Harrison then."

Barry bit his lip as he watched Caitlin and Cadence both give varying degrees of responses. Cadence let out a huff of annoyance and made a show of pulling her hair up into a ponytail as she stormed over to her things.

"Cade—"Barry started.

"—It's my turn to take Ronnie and Professor Stein out, I'll catch you later," she interrupted and teleported from the room.

Caitlin, on the other hand, crossed her arms and turned a steely gaze over to Cisco.

"You just had to Cisco, didn't you?" She asked. Cisco tried to defend himself but she cut him off. "Don't you have to go help Ray with his suit or something?"

He looked at her for a long moment then nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I do. I promised I'd held him after we were finished here. I'll get going now." He gave Caitlin a meaningful, apologetic look and left the practice area.

Barry rubbed his neck as he walked over to Caitlin. "Cait, you know we have to talk about this," he said. "I know that things are really hard about this but there's a lot that adds up to it. Everyone says he's changed since the car accident in Starling City—"

"—because the love of his life died? I think you would understand how that feels Barry," Caitlin shot back.

He paused in his tracks as the familiar ache burst through his heart. Caitlin was right, he knew that. Anyone would react badly to losing someone they loved so much; family member, friend, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife. It was always going to be hard.

"But this isn't something we can ignore. Everything else adds up that he's the one that killed my mother."

"But why? Do you know that? Do you know why he would want to kill your mother? And _your_ mother specifically? He didn't even know you back then."

That was the part that completely stumped him. He wasn't sure the motive behind the murder but that had to be something that made sense as well. It _had_ to be him.

Caitlin was on a roll and she continued to throw questions left and right. "And why not just go ahead and kill you? Or me, or Cisco, or Brady, or Cade? Or anyone else that's come our way? I mean, he had the perfect opportunity to knock Cade off when she was in the hospital but instead she's still alive."

"That was before the accident, Caitlin," Barry calmly explained.

She threw him a withering look. "My mistake. He's at least managed to do _something_ right. I mean, other than trying to help you get stronger with your powers and everything." She started to walk back towards the Cortex with Barry following behind her. "Look, I'm not saying Harrison is without his secrets—"

"—what other secret could he possibly have?" Barry asked. _If there's anything else it has to be small compared to the Reverse-Flash stuff._

Caitlin let out a quiet sigh. "That he can walk," she said quietly. Barry stopped and Caitlin turned to face him, eyes downcast in shame. "I know I should've told you sooner, but he can walk, Barry. Not a lot, but he can. I guess he was using it as a motivator for you or something, because of being the one that made the Particle Accelerator go up in the first place but he can walk."

Barry increased his pace once more, now excitedly going towards the Cortex. "Don't you see? That's another piece of evidence that he's the Reverse-Flash."

Now Caitlin openly glared at her friend. Her voice continued to freeze over in tone, giving Barry the feeling that if she had powers she would've frozen his lips shut to get him to stop talking about it. "I'm starting to get really tired of this conversation, Barry."

"I know after everything Dr. Wells has done for all of it's hard to wrap your head around this but I need you to see the truth," Barry insisted. The two stepped into the Cortex and Barry watched as Caitlin made herself busy setting up hers, Cisco's, and Harrison's desks.

"The truth? The truth is that he saved your life multiple times."

"Look, I know. But if I'm right about this—"

"— _If_ , Barry. If! Before I can believe anything that you or Joe or Cisco is saying, I need to see some proof."

"Proof of what?"

At the sound of Harrison's voice Barry whipped around, heart leaping into his throat. He swallowed hard, hopping the movement would shift his heart back into place but it continued to stay put. It beat painfully and caused his brain to short circuit for a second. Caitlin shot him a look, silently telling him he needed to change the subject and Barry thought hard.

 _Proof of what? Proof of what?_ "Proof that Cisco has actually found what's wrong with Ray's suit," Caitlin explained. She placed her hand on her hip and added, "He thinks there's a need for some stronger metal added to it and they're working on creating said metal."

"Huh, sounds like something that only Cisco could handle," Harrison said with a light smile. He pushed his glasses up his nose and turned towards his computer. "Is there anything else going on that I need to know about?"

 _That we're onto you. That we know you're the one who killed my mother and you're the Reverse-Flash,_ Barry thought, all the while staring at Harrison. He practically willed for Harrison to do something right then and there; get up from his seat, knock Caitlin out, maybe go as far as to try and kill him. Just to prove his theories wasn't as crazy as they sounded.

Then he caught Caitlin's eye once more and he cleared his throat. "Just that…I'm happy you've helped me out so far. And I don't know what I would do without you."

Harrison was silent for a moment, then he finally turned around in his seat and smiled so sincerely at Barry that he felt a little guilty. "I'm happy to have the opportunity to help you. I don't know if you've noticed, but Cisco, Caitlin, and I lost a lot when the Particle Accelerator…you know."

"Yeah…" Barry nodded.

"And despite the hard comings that have come your way, despite not having a normal life anymore, we're glad you've given us life again. In many ways."

Honestly, that was the last thing Barry wanted to hear.

.

..

...

Ronnie lowered the brim of his hat down over his face and glanced over at Professor Stein did the same. The older man rolled his shoulders forward and ducked in on himself to keep from appearing like a threat. The young man rolled his eyes and faced forward again, taking a few more steps then turned around to Cadence as she strolled behind them.

"We don't need a chaperone. We're not your dogs you don't need to take us out for walks" he said to her.

Cadence gave him a look, her eyebrows rising. "Trust me when I say I don't think you need one either. But as we have explained numerous times before, this is a precaution to make sure—"

"—nothing's going to happen!" Ronnie insisted. Now he, Professor Stein, and Cadence came to a complete stop out of the way of those continuing to bustle on the sidewalk. "No one even knows we're around anymore. They all think we're dead!" His voice cracked as he said it. "My parents, my brother, my cousins, aunts and uncles…they all think I'm dead. No one's going to come looking for me. Or for him for that matter," he motioned to Professor Stein who nodded soberly.

"My wife, Carissa, she would've stopped by now," Professor Stein agreed. He took a deep breath. "She's a woman with a very strong heart that believes in a lot. I don't concede she would believe I've been alive this long. I'd hope not. If anything I'd want her to move on."

"And I'm trying to do that, too," Ronnie insisted. "Move on. Move away from Central City. Start a life I can actually have. And now be like some sort of a lab experiment that's being held against his will!"

Cadence briefly closed her eyes. She knew she doing this was going to put herself and the others in more danger than ever before. And because it had to do with the Assassination Bureau _again_ … _maybe this will make everything else work out,_ Cadence thought. Where the Assassination Bureau was concerned things didn't always work out. But this didn't have to do with the Assassination Bureau; it had to do with General Eiling and what he was planning on doing with as many people he could influence.

"Do you really want to be out walking by yourselves one day and then get attacked and experimented on by General Eiling?" Cadence hissed. She looked back and forth between the two men that made up one metahuman. "This guy, he used to work with Harrison"—she paused for a moment as a bullet of pain shot through her. She had to stop thinking about this—"And he did some horrific things to metahumans. He sort of created this metahuman named Bette or Plastique and she became an explosive. And Eiling used her as a weapon and conducted surgeries on her to understand how to use her powers and put them in other humans. If he gets his hand on you guys and knows what he can do with that power, there's no telling what he'll do with that information."

"All the more reason for us to get out of Central City," Ronnie insisted. He looked at her curiously. "I don't want to only be known as a guy that can merge with someone else…who is also insufferably loud in my head—"

"—I wouldn't have to be so loud if you would just listen to what you were being told. It's not easy to not have control when your body is flying over the city at breakneck speeds because of an abundance of fire power."

Ronnie ignored him. "This isn't the life I wanted to have."

Cadence gazed at him with raised eyebrows. "Do you think this is the life that _any_ of us wanted?" She pointed out. "If I didn't have my powers…by now I'd probably be married. Brady might not have been born by now and who knows if I'd even be in Central City. But I love it here and I've found a calling I didn't know I had. That's not anything I would ever chance now. There's a reason this has happened to you and you need to find it."

Ronnie nodded.

"If you and Caitlin were meant to be then it's going to happen, but right now we need to focus on keeping you guys _safe_. Okay? I promise it's not something we want to do but have to and once we figure out then we'll be—" She broke herself off as she looked over and watched Eddie come running up to the group, resting his hands on his hips, annoyed. "Eddie, what are you doing here? What's going on?"

Eddie took a minute to catch his breath before turning towards her. "There's been a robbery, a string of robberies really." He glanced at Ronnie and Professor Stein, who both lowered their hats once more and turned away, suddenly interested with the colorful billboard behind them. "I was just chasing the suspect but I guess the Flash must've taken him down, I thought I saw…" he trailed off then shook his head. "But the strange part is that each person that was found, after the robbery, swears it wasn't them." He looked at her for a minute. "This is a big case within the CCPD; I figured Barry would've told you."

"We've been really busy lately, haven't had much time to talk," Cadence explained. "Besides, I'm a medical examiner; if it doesn't have anything to do with how people died Captain Singh tends to pretend I'm not there."

"Yeah, I had the same problem when I first joined the CCPD," Eddie agreed. He wiped sweat off his brow. "And it didn't help that I was a replacement for a well respected man.

"So you were saying these guys don't know they're robbing things?"

"It's not like they don't know they're doing it, they're _adamant_ they're not doing it. A woman this morning broke down into tears over it, and I've been doing my job for a long time. Those were real tears."

 _Something else must be going on then,_ Cadence thought, her mind immediately shifting to metahumans. If that were the case, chances are she was going to have a lot on her plate the next time she went into work. That is if Captain Singh didn't call her in that day.

"I just saw the suspect but he got away before I could really get a handle on them," Eddie explained. He placed his hands on his hips, shaking his head. "Looks like we're going to have to wait for the next robbery before we can get them. Actually, I've been looking for you." She waited patiently as he said, "I was looking through the robberies of Leonard Snart and Mick Rory, just in case they would come back into Central City, and I noticed there was a time they were back in your area; Metropolis. Around the time that there was a fire you had—"

"Miss. Nash, I don't mean to rush you but we seem to be running low on time," Professor Stein broke in. "So if you don't mind my interruption—"

"Right. Uh, sorry, Eddie, but we really do have to get going." She looked over as Eddie caught sight of Professor Stein and Ronnie, his eyes narrowing for a moment before widening once more. "Eddie?"

"I'm sorry," Eddie apologized. He continued to watch the two young men who subtly turned away from him. "It's just…you look so familiar. Have we met before? At a function or something?"

"Did you meet Oliver Queen the last time you were here? Because this is his cousin." Ronnie gave Cadence a look and Cadence gave him a look in response—which looked more like an evil grin—and added, "And this is his grandfather. You can see the family resemblance, right?"

Professor Stein coughed something into his hand while Ronnie glared back at her.

"Right, right, I see that," Eddie agreed. He reached out and patted Cadence on the shoulder. "I have to go report back to Captain Singh; I'll catch up to you guys later."

"Right. Keep me posted on what's going on with this."

"No problem."

Cadence finally let out a sigh of relief and turned back to Ronnie and Professor Stein, who both looked unhappy. "Cousin?" Ronnie asked.

"Grandfather?"

"You try coming up with something better than 'these guys don't know each other at all but have to pretend that they do because they somehow, with no good explanation of our own, they turn into a fire monster who uses their power to save little kids from mutant gorillas that live in the sewers of Central City'."

Professor Stein blinked for a moment. "That explanation would suffice, however it would be much more imperative that we remove the inclement of run on sentences in your explanation."

Cadence made a face and Ronnie rolled his eyes.

"Now you see what I have to deal with. Try having that in your head all the time while trying to control your fire powers."

"Technically it's not even fire—"

"—you see?"

"—I'm just making sure that you understand entirely what it is that we're in for. Understanding our abilities to the fullest, down to what they actually are, certainly qualifies."

"Wow, you two are like an old married couple it's not even funny," Cadence remarked with a light shake of her head. "I wonder how that works when you go out for something to eat." She placed her hands on their backs and pushed them into CC Jitters, directing them to seat at the window and went to the counter to order, nearly bumping into a blonde woman as she did so. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's my fault," the woman replied. She looked at Cadence for a minute then did a double-take before openly staring. "I should've watched where I was going. You seem to be in a bit of a rush."

"Not really, just making sure that my colleagues over there don't kill themselves or each other," Cadence replied. She took a step towards the counter where Iris was busy filling out an order and noticed the woman was still looking at her, seemingly not to blink. Or else she might've been in a daze. "Sorry, is there something I can help you with?"

"No, no it's nothing" the woman said. She lifted her cup of coffee, as if bidding 'cheers' and left the coffee shop.

Cadence watched her leave, tilting her head to the side as she did so.

That woman looked so familiar. And yet, Cadence wasn't sure where she would've seen the woman before. Maybe in an advertisement or something.

"Is everything okay?"

Being spoken to, Cadence turned back to Iris and saw her leaning against the counter. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just thought I might know who that woman is. She looked really familiar to me."

"Well, you'd know who everyone is wouldn't you," Iris commented. Cadence turned to her with a raised eyebrow and Iris continued with, "I mean, coming from Metropolis and going to Starling City and everything. It seems like you know everyone around here."

"Really?" Cadence decided not to mention sensing Iris's body temperature fluctuate, indicating either a rise in body temperature due to stress or by lying. "I thought you were making that obvious joke I get out of nearly every guy I've come across that figures out I have a son." She made a face. "You'd think by now they would be smart enough to come up with another one."

"Yeah, well, you know how guys can be; sometimes I wonder how they even manage to get dressed in the morning," Iris said. She smiled a little before her eyes shifted behind her towards Ronnie and Professor Stein. "Speaking of which, I don't think I've seen those guys around before. But the young one sort of looks familiar."

"Yeah, he's Oliver's cousin. And he's here with his grandfather." Cadence explained. She looked over at the door once more, unable to get the woman out of her mind. "Do you know who that woman was? The one who was just in here?"

"Tess? Yeah, she comes in her e a lot," Iris said.

Cadence froze for a second and as calmly as possible she leaned towards Iris. "Tess?" She repeated.

"Yeah, Tess Morgan. She used to be work here in Central City at STAR Labs or something." Iris then took Cadence's order as the fire metahuman took in the information she was just given. Tess Morgan. The only Tess Morgan she knew was her birth mother…whom she thought wasn't alive. "Actually, speaking of STAR Labs I wanted to ask you something about that."

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Well, the CCPD, or Barry and my Dad work with the Flash sometimes and I know that everyone at STAR Labs works with the Flash too. Do you have any ideas…or who the Flash is?"

Cadence kept her face as neutral as possible despite the fact that her heart rate immediately increased. Then she waited for a second to see if she could tell whet her it was due to lying or not but still was unsure. Nevertheless it wasn't a safe conversation topic and she was sure Iris was really doing her best to figure out the truth of a controversial secret.

"I have no idea, honestly. It seems to me that everyone is trying to figure out who he is right now. I mean, especially with that…Man in Yellow or whatever who's made its appearance back during Christmas." Cadence said, calmly drumming her hands on the end of the counter.

Iris's eyes narrowed. "You know about the Man in Yellow?"

"Nothing more than what Barry has told me. Otherwise I've seen a few reports about it on the internet. Not to mention Brady's school seems to be filled with a bunch of little gossips. He's always coming back home with a new story about things going on around Central City. The last thing I heard was this gorilla that apparently lives in the sewers."

"And no one at STAR Labs knows about that either?"

Now Cadence was starting to adopt Iris's habit of a clipped edge to her tone. If Iris thought she was going to get anything out of Cadence it wasn't going to work. "Not that I'm aware of. I'm not over there, usually. I'm typically at the fitness center or the CCPD."

"And no one over there has any ideas of these guys?"

"No." All of a sudden Cadence was a little annoyed that Iris hadn't asked anything about Flare but also found it was more important that at least Barry's secret wasn't revealed to anyone that wasn't supposed to know. "And I don't know anything about a freakin' gorilla either!"

"I'm just asking a question," Iris insisted.

Cadence could feel her temper rise and did her best to keep from saying anything else. Iris seemed to have the same thought for she fixed her drinks and handed it over, stiffly asking for the payment. Cadence handed over the cash and took the drinks to Ronnie and Professor Stein, who seemed to have calmed down from their argument before and were speaking quietly.

"All I'm saying is that you need to loosen up sometimes," Ronnie was saying as she sat. "And if that means have to start out with trying a few different kinds of pizza and beer rather than caviar and a wine spritzer as you older folk seem to enjoy then life would be much better."

Cadence laughed as Professor Stein moved his lips into a tight smile.

"And I'm saying you need to take what everyone at STAR Labs is saying seriously. This General Eiling fellow sounds like someone we don't want to be caught off-guard with."

"Why would he want to attack us in the middle of broad daylight?" Ronnie asked.

 _Because he's working with the Assassination Bureau and isn't going to let anything get in his way,_ Cadence thought. Her fingers twitched along her mug of hot chocolate as she grappled with whether or not to tell them of her work with the group as well. Ultimately, she knew the risk was too great and kept quiet, listening to the two argue with each other. Once they were brought back to STAR Labs she immediately went to the CPPD.

"Candace, I thought I gave you the day off," Captain Singh barked as soon as she came into contact with him.

Cadence glared at him. "There's someone I need to talk to or was there something else that you needed me to do?"

Whether or not Captain Singh was remembering the time Barry was whammied and spoke back to him or there was something about Cadence's aura that set him off, but Captain Singh simply nodded and took a step away from her. The fire metahuman continued through the CCPD until she reached Barry's lab. He looked up as she came in, taking goggles off his face and setting beakers down that he had been rapidly shaking.

"Geez Cade, you scared me," he said, bringing a hand up to run through his hair.

"I need to talk to you," Cadence said, coming to a stop beside him as she crossed her arms.

Barry stood up as well and looked down at her, eyes filled with sincere apology. "Oh, good, because I need to talk to you, too. Look, I'm really sorry about the way I sprung up the whole Harrison thing on you but I couldn't keep it in any longer. I really _do_ think—"

"—I'm not talking about that, Barry; I'm taking about Tess Morgan. My birth mother? You knew she was alive, didn't you?"

Barry blinked twice and brought a hand up to cover his mouth. Then he changed his mind mid movement and decided to run it through his hair and over his neck instead. "I…wh…where…did you hear that?"

Cadence's eyes widened and she took a step back away from him. "You didn't deny it," she whispered. "You didn't deny that she was alive. That you _knew_ she was alive. I can't believe you. You _lied_ to my face…how long have you known? And don't act like you don't because Iris is your best friend and I know she tells you everything."

Barry took a step towards her. "Not for long, I swear. I swear I was going to tell you but I didn't know how. I've never seen her myself only Iris has. She says she's been trying to write an article about her and Harrison"—he saw Cadence's eyes start to widen—"but I talked her out of it. Me and Joe!"

"Joe knows, too?"

"He hasn't seen her either. I promise. I didn't want to hurt you, Cade. I just wanted to be sure that everything was on the up and up. That things were safe. I don't want anything to happen to you guys and—"

Now Cadence snorted. "You didn't want to hurt me. You don't want to hurt _anyone_ Barry and you keep shutting them out. And it's not to protect any of us it's because you want to play 'hero'. You couldn't save your Mom and you're trying to save the rest of us. We don't _need_ to be saved, Barry! _I_ don't need to be saved! I'm not a burden or someone you leave behind to do things yourself. You can't just keep leaving me behind like this, to keep me out of the loop and seeing what's going to happen. You may be concerned about my well-being, but I think I've proven to you at this point that I'm completely on your side. I'm not your side-kick, Barry, I'm your partner! Your equal. You have to start trusting me to help you! Please!"

"I want to protect you! I can't…stand the thought of anything happening to you, Cade. Or Caitlin or Cisco…I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"You can't avoid any of that; something is going to happen sooner or later."

Barry removed his hands from his hair and placed them on his chest. His face started to turn red with the effort of the emotion he exhibited to show his plight. Tears started to come to his eyes. "Not unless I can stop it. I'm The Flash for a reason; I was given these powers for a reason! I can't just sit back and watch more people I love be taken away from me! So I can't just sit back and make up a plan all the time, I need to do something, even if it's in the moment. Even if it means keeping something quiet while I try to figure things out. I'm _sorry_!"

The voice that spoke next caused Barry and Cadence to whip around and stare at the doorway of Barry's lab.

"I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to walk in on this conversation," Eddie said. His eyes shifted back and forth between the two. "But I'm sort of glad I did."

* * *

 **A/N:** If you've read _Sparks Fly_ then you would have recognized the beginning of this chapter but now it's been expanded to give a reason as to why Barry's and Cadence's powers work so well together. I actually got the idea after Sialia-currucoides mentioned it in a review, so thanks!

Yeah, yeah, I changed the reveal to Eddie of Barry's identity as the Flash. Not only did I think a reveal as simple as that should've happened on the show by now, but I also realized I forget to put it where I originally intended and so I had to do it now. I hope it still worked out. Honestly, I actually forgot whether or not I had said that Barry already had the secret revealed to Eddie (and didn't find it when I went back to check) so if I did please let me know so I can re-do that part of the chapter.

So now only Iris is left to know and that's not going to take much longer since Grodd has already made his appearance.

More action in the next chapter and everything Eobard Thawne/Harrison Wells comes to a head. Also because I said the story ends in 50 chapters and we're almost at chapter 40. Lol!

 **-Riles**


	37. How to Fix a Family (and Tear It Down)

**.:37:.**

How to Fix a Family (and Tear It Down Again)

* * *

Barry raised his eyes to meet Joe's as the two stood around Eddie. Eddie rested his face in his hands as he leaned forward on the couch, eyes staring straight ahead.

"Okay, I know this is the worst way you could've found out, and it's probably something that's really hard to understand," Joe said slowly. "But there's a reason not many people know about this. There's a reason we had to keep it a secret from you."

"Because I had set up that task force that tried to take him down?" Eddie murmured.

Barry blinked twice. "What? No." He had actually forgotten about that. There was already so much going on he forgot at one point Eddie absolutely hated The Flash and wanted nothing more than to take him down. Then again he was sure part of it was because of Iris's obsession with the Flash once upon a time. "You…you actually had some good reasons for that, back then no one knew what the Flash…I was doing."

He winced.

It was hard to say something like that out loud after having kept it a secret for so long. Especially when Iris could come walking in at any moment. So taking Eddie to the West house probably wasn't the best idea in terms of having this conversation but it was the first place Barry could think of to get Eddie out of the CCPD. Then he and Cadence had called Joe to tell him what was going on, much to the Detective's confusion and initial fear.

"No one knew that he was trying to help the city rather than destroying it like the rest of the metahumans," Cadence explained, speaking up for the first time since they had arrived. "And that's where the initial fear came from."

Eddie turned towards her and looked at her for a long moment, his blond brows coming together. "And you're…Flash Fire," he commented.

"Fla—"Cadence waved her hand. "Forget it, that's going to take a while to catch on. Yes, that's me."

"But you weren't here in Central City when the…Particle Accelerator?" Joe and Barry nodded, causing Eddie to nod as well. "When the Particle Accelerator blew. How are you able to have the same sort of powers."

"I've had my powers since I was about eight years old," Cadence explained. "That's a long story, too. But I've been living in Central City for a while and didn't come forward with what I could do until I saw the Flash was around."

"So every time the Flash came around to help the CCPD that was you?" Eddie asked. He didn't wait for Barry to respond, he kept going. "And that's why you're always disappearing when Captain Singh is looking for you. And why you're always coming up with such lame excuses—"

"They're not _that_ lame," Barry finally defended himself. Now he stretched his arms before resting them atop his head. "Yes .Every time it was me. I know we should've told you sooner but I…we couldn't risk the secret coming out. It would've put everyone around us in danger. You, Iris, everyone at the CCPD."

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Eddie, but we need you to keep this secret," Joe insisted. He placed his hands on his hips and started to pace. "There's too much at stake if anyone else finds out."

Eddie lifted his head and glanced at Joe in surprise. "You want me to lie to Iris?"

Joe licked his lips then pressed them together. "Eddie, listen to me. We're trying to keep Iris safe. Even telling you is putting you in danger. Anyone around Barry who knows his secret is put in danger in the off chance you'll be used as leverage against him."

"So you expect me to sit back and say nothing?"

"No, we expect you to continue working with the CCPD, living your life," Cadence insisted. "The only difference being now you know the real identities behind the two metas that are trying to save Central City."

"Save it from what?"

Now Barry held his breath. He exchanged a look with Joe and Cadence, who looked back at him with varying degrees of encouragement. "From the Reverse-Flash," he explained. Eddie's eyes widened. "The Man in Yellow that attacked during Christmas. He was the one that killed my mother, the one I've been chasing. He's been in Central City the whole time. And he's come back to….well, probably to kill me."

"Why would he want to kill _you_ when he killed your mother?"

Barry closed his eyes once more. That was an even longer story. There was so much Eddie needed to know but at the moment none of it was important. Not so much more than making sure everyone was on the same page and that Eddie knew not to say anything.

"Eddie, we _need_ you to promise that you're not going to tell Iris about this," Joe insisted. "That's the most important thing right now. There's already too any people who are starting to figure things out. This is incredibly important."

"Okay, okay." Eddie stood up and mimicked Joe's stance, placing his hands on his hips. This pushed the bottom of his jacket backwards, to reveal the belt filled with gadgets and gizmos that the police gave them. Barry gulped when he spotted the gun that sat in Eddie's holster, suddenly very nervous about him knowing. "I won't say anything to Iris. But, you have to promise that I'll be able to soon. I don't like keeping secrets from her."

"Neither do we," Joe agreed. "But this is the best option for her."

Cadence shook her head but didn't say anything. Instead, she tilted her head to the side and asked, "When you heard our conversation, was there something that you needed to talk to Barry about? Usually you don't go to his lab."

Eddie was silent for a moment. Then his face cleared and he ran a hand over his mouth then through his hair. "Oh. Right. You know that case that we were looking into of the woman who was accused of stealing jewelry? Then I chased the person on foot and they got away, right? Well, the person tried to hock off the jewels at a different pawn shop and this time they succeeded. The strange part is that they were a different person and I was going to suggest that it might've been a group of crooks doing this and maybe Barry could find something that would've proven that but now…"

"Meta?" Cadence asked.

"Meta," Barry clarified. "Probably a shape-shifting one if the person that was originally accused of stealing is so adamant about not having done it."

"But we have her on tape," Eddie insisted.

"Or you _think_ you do. This isn't the first time, over the years that I've been working the CCPD, that someone has been accused of doing something they were vehement they didn't do. We should look back on those cases and see where they all start."

"Chances are with the Particle Accelerator explosion," Barry said.

Cadence brought her hand up to cover her mouth for a moment. She squeezed her eyes shut as if trying to figure out whether or not she wanted to say something. "Mmm. Maybe not. This could be Incognito's work."

"Incognito?" Barry repeated.

"Who's Incognito?" Eddie questioned.

"He's a member of the Assassination Bureau along with Stratos, Mindboggler, and Breathtaker where the Assassination Bureau are a group of metahumans mercenaries. Incognito has the ability to morph himself into any person he wants to be."

"To the point that no one is sure what he really looks like," Cadence added. She scratched the back of her head. "There have been times where I've seen a jacket and a hat on him but noting underneath. I think he has the powers to turn invisible, too. This might be him."

"I thought the Assassination Bureau left Central City," Barry pointed out.

"I said _might,_ Barry. Not that I know for sure. If anything, this could be another meta. There's already more speedsters and people with the ability of fire than we originally thought. There could be more of these powers, too. We don't know."

"Either way, if something comes up again then you can't go after them, Barry."

Now Barry turned to Joe so fast he was surprised he didn't spin in a complete circle. "Why not?"

"If this person, meta, whatever can morph into anyone, how do we know that they can't morph with your powers, too?"

Barry's jaw dropped to protest then he closed it and nodded. That made a lot of sense. He couldn't risk there being another speedster. Especially if they specifically had his power. If his recent training practices were anything to go by it meant he needed to practice some more. Especially if he ever had to fight himself.

"So what do we do now?" Eddie asked.

"We have to let Caitlin and Cisco know what's going on so they'll keep their guards up. Make sure we're not caught off guard. And then we go after this guy, see if we can find him," Cadence said.

"Eddie and I'll go through as many records as we can to see if there's a pattern on this," Joe added. He turned back to Barry and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Keep your head low and try not to do that thing you always do where you go running off as soon as something happens. We need to be smart about this one and I don't even want to imagine what'll happen if there's another _you_ out there."

"You and me both," Barry agreed. He turned to Cadence and tilted his head towards the door. "You want to head out to STAR Labs? The sooner we let them know what's going on, the better."

"Actually, I need to see Ryder first. It's where I was going to go after escorting Ronnie and Professor Stein around the city but then I had to go see you." Cadence explained. She looked over at Joe and Eddie and Joe nodded, holding up his hand in a bid of farewell then left the two metahumans alone.

Barry took a good look at Cadence and immediately became concerned. "What's going on?"

"I got another visit from CPS yesterday," Cadence said. And Barry listened as she explained how the agents had been as friendly as ever when stopping by to ask her and Brady questions about the way they lived and Cadence's new job with the CCPD. However, they also pointed out that there were a few things in the way they lived; where there were stretches of time where Brady would be left alone or he'd be consistently passed around to other people, as well as her past within Metropolis raised up some red flags for them. So they'd continue to be looked at for a while.

"So what does that mean, that they're going to take Brady away?" Barry asked.

"Not unless I can once and for all prove that he's in a stable environment. And that's why I need to talk to Ryder. He mentioned that he wants to have joint custody of Brady and I think, considering the circumstances we're in, and if everything that's being said about Harrison is true, it might be the best idea."

"I know it's really none of my business, but don't you think its better that he at least gets to _know_ Brady before he gets custody?"

"Considering we may all be murdered within the next few weeks? My worry about that shot out the window ages ago. Besides, he wouldn't have come to Central City and gone to his soccer games, and to his birthday party, and just stuck around in general if he wasn't being serious. Besides, you were the one that suggested I talk to him and air my grievances. "

Barry nodded. There was nothing he could do about the shape shifting metahuman and there was nothing he could do about a decision that really had nothing to do with him. For the first time in a long time he felt completely helpless and useless.

"So I'll meet you at STAR Labs," Barry concluded with a nod. "Good luck."

"I should say that to you."

Barry raised an eyebrow.

"Good luck not stopping a robbery, a car theft, a purse snatcher, a jaywalker…"

Barry laughed lightly as Cadence smiled and teleported out of the house. Once he was alone his smile faded, thoughts drifting back to everything that had transpired over the past couple of weeks. He needed to know for sure what was going on and if that meant he had to prove Harrison wasn't the person they thought he was, then he had to do that.

He was getting ready to run from the house when there was a knock on the door. Barry hesitated a moment before going to the door to open it. If anything it was probably Eddie wanting to get some more clarity on everything he had just been told.

But as soon as Barry opened the door he was hit in the face with a solid blow.

Everything went black even before he hit the floor.

* * *

"A shape-shifting metahuman?" Cisco asked, dropping the screwdriver that was in his hand. It bounced on his foot and rolled away. Cisco winced but didn't move to retrieve the instrument. Ray, who stood on his other side, continued to work but looked at Barry with wide eyes.

"That's…that's a real thing?" Ray added, eyes shifting back and forth from Barry to Cisco and over again. He started to smile a smile much like a little kid who was told they were going to have a surprise birthday party. "Like, a _real_ thing?"

"Is that even a question?" Cisco chuckled. "Do you even know what city you're in? You may have all of the big guns back in Starling but we have lots of fun here. And that includes shape-shifting metahumans." He turned to Barry who gave an impatient roll of his eyes. "Do you know what that means?"

"No…?" Barry prompted.

Cisco gave him a 'duh' look. "No, that this metahuman is something that we could use to our advantage. Use them to figure out where and what the Reverse-Flash is going to strike next."

"If that were the case, then, plausibly, it'd be the same thing that he could use against you," Ray pointed out. He spun a wrench around his fingers. "Let's think about this realistically and with statistics, the chances of this Reverse-Flash that you guys keep talking about is consistently watching you is pretty high. So chances are he's already aware of this shape-shifting metahuman and if that really is the case then how do we know he's not already using said person against you?"

"And then robbing the bank would be a good distraction, to keep us from realizing what he's really doing," Cisco deduced. He snapped his fingers then switched the tone of his voice to mimic an older woman's, "It's brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, I say!"

Ray beamed and pointed at him. "Emperor's New Groove!"

Cisco beamed back. "I knew I liked you for a reason."

"So…" Barry reached out and gently ran his fingers along the side of Ray's suit. "What do you think we should do?"

"Right now we should tell Caitlin and get her opinion on things, other than that we can't do anything until we get the information back from Joe and Eddie."

Barry blinked at him for a long moment. "And Caitlin would be…?"

"In the Cortex. I think she said something about continuing to maintain a surveillance on the city and taking down inventory on the medical supplies." Cisco turned back to the suit and examined it for a moment before flipping the pair of goggles he wore up his face. "Once Cadence gets here we can figure out a plan."

Barry nodded and left the room while Cisco went to retrieve his screwdriver. He twisted it back and forth in his hand as he turned to Ray. "So how are things going with you in Starling City? You seemed really excited to be up-close and personal with the metahumans out here."

"I guess because the Arrow has things figured out in Starling," Ray replied, continuing his work on his suit. "But I don't think he's doing the job he should be doing. Not only are the police completely against him but he's not one that plays well with others. I had gone out to help him with my suit and we just got into a fight."

"Really?" Cisco's eyes shifted back and forth for a moment before he turned to make sure Ray couldn't see him. "Imagine that." It wasn't so far off. _Oliver shot arrows into Barry's freaking back! He wouldn't be so happy to know anyone else was in his city taking down some bad guys. If Barry had gone over there first he probably would've come back in a body bag._

"Yeah, really," Ray agreed. He didn't seem to notice the change in Cisco's demeanor. "But I…I can't stop doing what I'm doing. The Arrow isn't doing much to help the city's morale. No one trusts him as much as they used to. I want to be able to do something to show the city that there's someone there who is trying to help keep them safe. Like Barry's done here."

"Yeah, I can understand that. I—"

Cisco suddenly cut himself off, blinking rapidly as everything in front of him started to shake and blur. He blinked a few more times and things continued to blur and shift out of focus. The next thing he knew, the room changed completely and Cisco was hit in the face with a wave of damp air.

There was never a draft in STAR Labs. Not like that. Caitlin's office got pretty cold every now and then, but not to the point that it felt like condensation was gathering on his face. He could hear water dripping somewhere in the distance. Shifting around, Cisco then noticed that his feet were plunged into water that went up to his calves. Taking a step forward his eyes finally adjusted and he found a series of tunnels leading off of each other.

"I'm back in the sewer," he whispered to himself. With nothing but a screwdriver in his hand, Cisco inched forward in the water. He moved forward a few more feet and came to a four-way intersection. He looked back and forth before the sound of voices got his attention. He twisted back and forth, straining to discern the voices. "Hello?"

He heard the voices once more and turned to the left, following the tunnels as quickly as he could. He ran as fast as he could, as high as his knees would take him, and sloshed through the water. He kept running as fast as he could, turning this way and that as the voices continued to increase and decrease in volume. Finally, he made it to a slope and walked out of the water. The air turned dryer and the sudden shift made Cisco's throat tickle. He wanted to cough, wanted to clear his throat but knew whomever was down there would come after him if he announced his presence. So Cisco held his breath and pressed forward.

As he turned the corner the first thing he saw was the room he had come into. It was open and there were three entrances to the room; one from the tunnel he came from, the other from the right side and another via a ladder that reached the top of the room. Then Cisco's eyes looked around the dimensions; the room wasn't so big but it wasn't tiny, enough for people to comfortably have their own space.

Then he took in blurry figures at the back of the room. There were two of them…maybe three. One of them was lying on the ground, or maybe sitting? With the other standing over him, saying something. Whatever was being said came to Cisco's ears as muffled sounds, almost as if he were in a Peanuts cartoon. The figure standing up turned to the side and Cisco saw a third figure lying on the ground.

Cisco moved a little closer and gasped when he saw Barry lying quietly on the ground, eyes closed. It didn't appear he was breathing.

"Barry," Cisco whispered.

Before he could slap his hand over his mouth or even regret his mistake, there was a rush of wind and Harrison stood in front of him, smiling the coldest, most calculated, most evil smile he had ever seen. Cisco felt a chill run down his spine as he waited for Harrison's hand to shove through his chest and stop his heart.

Instead, Harrison's smile widened. "Hello, Cisco," he greeted.

.

..

…

Cisco gasped loudly, jerking away from the suit that stood in front of him. He stumbled back a few steps and Ray turned towards him, eyebrows coming together in confusion. He reached out to steady himself against Ray's suit and shook his head.

"Cisco, what's going on?" Ray asked.

"I…I'm not sure. But it's not good. Ray, you need to put your suit on now." Cisco threw his tools to the floor and raced to a nearby computer. He moved through a few screens then let out a low gasp at the map that came up in front of him. "Go! Hurry!"

With that, Cisco turned on his heel and raced towards the Cortex.

* * *

Caitlin turned away from her computer and rubbed her eyes. There was so much to do and so little time. Especially when Barry wasn't around to help. Testing DNA was hard enough, but to test the DNA of someone so close to her was even harder. Especially considering there was nothing to test it against. They had no DNA of the Reverse-Flash but if she could test Harrison's against Barry's and Cadence's…

 _Then we'll at least figure out if there's anything that links their metahuman abilities together. Maybe even figure out if there's something that will once and for all link Harrison to the crime._ She closed her eyes, hoping everything they were thinking was wrong. But knowing deep down they were probably right. There were too many coincidences for it to be something that didn't work out the way the cards were dealt.

Opening her eyes once more, Caitlin looked over and found Barry almost hesitantly making his way into the room. "Hey," She greeted him, sitting up straight.

"Hey," Barry replied. He nearly came to a stop as he looked her up and down. A smirk pulled at his lips and his eyes flashed as he gave her another obvious onceover. "You," he finally replied. "What are you doing?"

"I'm glad you asked because I could use your help," Caitlin said. She stood up from her seat and walked over to a fancy contraption that sat on the other side of the room with Barr following her. "I'm using this DNA machine to figure out what about yours and Cadence's DNA has in common towards metas. I know we've done this before but I want an more in depth look, to see if there's something embedded closely into the nuclei that could determine this since birth. To see if it's something, a gene, that we're born with. Then I'm going to put it in contrast with Harrison's DNA to see if there's anything that links them together as well as to your mother's murder."

Barry raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with me?"

"I'd hoped that you'd at least help move it along faster?" She asked, giving a small smile.

Barry didn't respond. Instead a smirk came to his face as he looked at her, his gaze just below her eyes. Caitlin tilted her head to the side and stared hard at him. "Barry?"

"What?" He lifted his gaze and sucked in a deep breath. "Oh! Right. Uh. Of course. But how much longer is it going to take before I actually need to step in and help?" Now his gaze flittered over towards the contraption behind her as she took a step towards him. "It seems like you're handling enough of it already."

"I know, but…" Caitlin closed her eyes. "I just…I _need_ to know this, Barry. As soon as possible. I need to know what he's capable of, what he's done, if I wasted my time, my talent, my feelings…" She took a deep breath then turned her gaze to her feet. "I can't imagine what it feels like, Barry. To know that you know what's the truth and not have anyone believe you. To know that there's something or someone out there that hurt you so badly. And I can't imagine what it'll feel like to know someone you trusted, someone who managed to fill in that spot in your life that was vacant may have done this to you. But I need to know. I trusted Dr. Wells with everything and I don't want to ruin his reputation for something we don't know, but…"

She trailed off and lifted her gaze again. "Does that make sense?" Then she realized how close Barry was standing to her and jerked her head backwards. Barry continued to look calmly at her almost as if he didn't notice her confusion. "What are you doing?" She asked slowly.

Barry mimicked her and tilted his head. "Thinking," he replied in a slow drawl. "Of how much you get me. You understand what it's like, how much this hurts. How confusing this whole thing is." He reached out and grabbed onto Caitlin's shoulders, holding her still. "And I know how much this hurts you because of your feelings—"

"—Don't," Caitlin interrupted.

"We get each other. And I should've seen that a long time ago."

Caitlin started to say something else then stopped when Barry leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. Caitlin's eyes widened and she immediately tried to pull back away from him. He had such a tight grip on her. Finally, Caitlin managed to break free and, bewildered, tried to stammer out a protest.

"B-Barry, you can't—"

Then Barry kissed her again and she found herself kissing back. As wrong as it felt to her it also felt right. It felt right to be able to release all of the negative emotion she'd been holding inside for as long as she could remember. She brought her hands up and rested them on the sides of Barry's face and angled her head to kiss him again.

Her heart was telling her one thing, her brain was telling her another, and she was telling both of them to shut up.

Unbeknownst to Caitlin, Cadence arrived at STAR Labs and quickly made her way to the Cortex. She turned the corner and stopped short, as if she had been punched in the stomach. Cadence reached her hand down to make sure that she hadn't been sucker-punched by some sort of invisible metahuman. Eyebrows lowering, she watched as Barry, who held onto Caitlin's arms, pulled her closer to him.

As the fire metahuman watched, her lower jaw dropped, zeroing in on Caitlin. Closing her mouth, Cadence's eyebrows furrowed together and she turned on her heel, walking out of the room, suppressing the urge to send a flash fire throughout the room.

She had only made it around the corner before she bumped into Harrison, calming wheeling towards her in the opposite direction. "Hey Dad," she greeted him with barely concealed anger.

Harrison came to a stop next to her and craned his head back to look at her. "Wow, I've seen that look before but it was from your mother. And there's only been a few times I've been on the receiving end of that glare. I can't imagine what's made you so angry."

Now Cadence stared at him. At the man who had grown to be even more of a father to her than her adoptive father over the past couple of months and whose reputation had single-handedly (which she still wasn't sure was true) been obliterated in front of her eyes. And yet, she still felt the urge to tell him everything as she had done before.

"A lot of things," she replied.

"Must've been something in the Cortex then, considering you came out of there like you had the devil on your heels." Harrison moved forward once more and Cadence blew air out of her mouth, shifting her bangs off her forehead, Then she turned on her heel and followed him to the Cortex.

As they arrived she found Caitlin and Barry on far sides of the room with Caitlin moving at warp-speed; almost as if trying to keep herself as busy as possible. She nearly jumped as Harrison announced his and Cadence's presence in the room.

"What's that?" Harrison asked, turning his gaze over to the machine back in the corner of the room. He stared towards it and Caitlin moved back, as if to block the room. "What are you testing?"

"I'm just running some diagnostics," Caitlin said quickly. "To be sure everything is working out. You know, just in case…"

"In case of what?" Harrison pressed.

Cadence glanced at Harrison, noticing the sudden dark tone coming to his voice. The temperature in the room around them seemed to have dropped at the same time.

"Uh," Caitlin's eyes shifted. "In case…in case…"

Cadence snorted as Caitlin tried to come up with an excuse for what she was trying very hard to hide. She clenched her hands into fists and unclenched them over and over again, seeing her fingertips starting to glow. Then she snuffed it out. As…hurt, pissed, confused (all of the above) she was it wasn't going to help at the moment. When Caitlin looked over and caught Cadence's gaze, she immediately understood what was going on and she felt another wave of negative emotions.

Was Harrison someone she could trust or not? Whatever it was that Caitlin had been doing had to do with their suspicions over everything. And now she had to come up with an excuse to keep him from finding out what it was the rest of them were planning.

All of a sudden, Barry took long strides across the room and grasped Caitlin's shoulder. "You don't need to make excuses for him," he said. "You don't need to explain anything to him. Not after everything we know."

Harrison's eyes shifted. Caitlin's eyes widened as she looked back and forth between the two. Like a deer caught in headlights.

Even Cadence wasn't sure what to do.

"What are you doing, Barry?" Cadence asked.

"What we should've done a long time ago," Barry replied. He whipped his left hand behind him and when he pulled it out he held a gun in his hand. His finger moved towards the trigger and Harrison reacted quicker than the two of them could.

He reached into the pocket of his wheelchair and pulled out a taser. With a quick flick of his wrist the pinpricks shot out and struck Barry in the chest, sending an electric current through him. Barry let out a strangled, gurgling sound and slumped to the floor, losing his grasp on the gun.

"What did you do?" Caitlin cried, turning towards him.

"I wouldn't put so much worry into him. This guy here would've known not to have used his right hand when working through his masquerade because our Barry Allen is right handed," Harrison said, motioning down to the figure that lay on the floor.

"Are you sure?" Cadence snatched the taser out of Harrison's hand and aimed it towards Barry. "Let me just double check." She pointed the taser at his unconscious form and shot the electrified wire out at him. His body twitched as she continued to hold onto the charge.

"Uh…" Caitlin started, watching as the body continued to jerk around on the floor as the seconds passed. "Cade?"

"Cadence." Harrison reached out for the taser. "Cadence! Cade! Cade! Ok!" He grabbed onto the taser and yanked it out of her grasp. "I think we're completely satisfied that this is not our Barry Allen. You've made your point."

Cadence crossed her arms.

"But if that's not Barry then who is he?" Caitlin asked.

"That's a great question, Caitlin." Harrison flicked his wrist and flipped the taser in his hand. Then he violently tossed it aside. "Considering all of the questions I have for you have been answered as soon as he spoke."

Within the next few seconds things seemed to move in slow-motion.

Sensing the sudden change in Harrison's demeanor taking a dark turn, Cadence teleported in front of Caitlin and grabbed onto her. Harrison pushed himself up from his seat so that he was standing and rushed forward, ready to knock into her. He hadn't anticipated Cadence getting there first and slowed his momentum, but the force of his crash into the two girls sent them flying into the wall behind them.

Seeing things hadn't gone the way he planned Harrison turned on his heel and raced from the room leaving trails of red lightning behind.

Seconds after he left Cisco ran into the room, hair flying behind them. He fell to Caitlin's and Cadence's side. "Damn, I'm too late," he apologized. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah," Cadence replied, rubbing the knot on the back of her head. She pressed her palm flat against it, hoping she'd be able to heal herself. "I'm fine."

"I'm okay," Caitlin agreed.

"I came too late. I saw…I saw in my head…I don't know…something's happened to Barry. Harrison has him somewhere, in the sewers. I came to warn you, I didn't…I didn't make it in time." Cisco apologized. He looked over and saw the body laying prone on the ground. "What happened here?"

"Harrison attacked us," Cadence explained, pulling her hair back from her face. "You were right, Cisco. You and Barry. He's the Reverse-Flash." She felt a hard lump rise in her throat as the feeling of betrayal suddenly set in. "He killed Barry's mother and…who knows what he's trying to do now."

"Are you okay?" Cisco repeated. The girls nodded and he nodded back. "Okay. Good. I'll go tell Ray what's going on and then we need to go down into the sewers and find Barry."

"But if Harrison is down there with him he'll just take us out. He has the same powers as Barry he can move faster than any of us think. He can…he can _kill_ us if he wants to." Caitlin ran her hands over her face, tears starting to slide down her cheeks. She hastily wiped them away, shaking her head.

"First we need to pinpoint where he is _exactly_ and then make a plan to go down there," Cadence insisted. "Go get Ray and we'll all think of something to do." Cisco nodded and raced from the room once more. Cadence got to her feet and started to pace back and forth, a million thoughts racing through her head.

She wanted to kick, yell, scream, and cry but found that her body wouldn't cooperate. It was as if she was frozen, dumped into an icy lake and left to die.

"Thank you."

For a minute Cadence wasn't sure Caitlin had even said anything. Then she turned to her and found she was looking at her earnestly, gently grasping the front of her shirt. "By now, Cait, I figured you would've known that no matter what happens I'm always going to be there to protect you. Even if you call me a murderer."

"I was mad, Cade," Caitlin defended herself. "I was upset."

"I'm mad that you kissed Barry, or whomever the hell this guy is," Cadence shot back. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to call you a whore. I've been called that enough not to even think about calling anyone else that. _And_ I was mad when you were willing to throw away so many people's lives for one person." She shook her head, face softening. "But I get it. I know why you would do that and I know why you would kiss Barry like that. It's because of how badly you're hurting. With Ronnie and Harrison and all this…" she tried not to grimace at the thought. "You had to have been hurting very badly and I was too self-centered to see it."

Caitlin's jaw slowly closed.

Cadence took the opportunity to continue. "I know how you feel. And I hate to think that, no matter what happens, we're still fighting at the end, just because of tough decisions we've had to make so far. Now knowing what we're going up against it would be incredibly petty of me to hold it over you. I love you, Caity, you're my best friend, and I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too," Caitlin replied. "For Barry and for what I said about you. You're not a murderer. You're much more than that, Cadey." She smiled. "You're a hero." She got up and moved to hug Cadence but the fire metahuman leaned back out of the way.

"You're not going to kiss me again are you?" She asked and laughed.

Caitlin groaned. "Are you ever going to let that go?"

"Only when it stops being funny," Cadence promised. She opened her arms for Caitlin to hug her. Being shorter than Caitlin—emphasized by her sneakers and Caitlin's high-heels—her face was pressed into Caitlin's shoulder. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

* * *

Barry awoke with a splash of water in his face. Coughing, he twisted around before getting to his feet. He cried out in surprise and shifted backwards away from Harrison as he stood across from him. Barry's eyes widened as he looked the man up and down.

He was really standing.

He could walk.

He was everything that he, Cisco, and Joe had thought.

"If I thought getting someone to pose as you was the quickest way to take down everything and everyone you loved, I would've done it ages ago," Harrison remarked. He said it almost as if he had mentioned something he forgot on his grocery list. With so much calculated reserve that it made Barry's blood run cold.

The speedster looked around the clearing, finding the two were alone. "What'd you do to them?" He whispered. "What'd you do to Caitlin, Cisco, and Cadence?"

"Nothing yet. Mostly because Cisco managed to peek into my plans. Honestly I didn't think he'd be able to hone his powers long enough to project himself. But then again he doesn't have the same power as that of The Flash." Harrison clasped his hands in front of him and smiled.

Barry was taken aback at how different Harrison looked without his glasses. Almost ten times more sinister. He could practically feel the evil radiating off him. Almost as if he was an entirely different person. Barry's eyes narrowed and he whispered. "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" Almost mockingly Harrison placed a hand on his chest. "Why, I'm Harrison Wells. But you can also call me Eobard Thawne considering we're one and the same. As for what I want…" He paced a few steps closer to Barry. "It's to see you dead. Though I can imagine you're going to put up a very tough fight. I'd be insulted if you didn't."

Barry trembled then outright started to shake. He shook so violently his entire body started to hurt. He felt nothing but pure adrenaline and hatred for the man that stood in front of him. Taunting him. Belittling him in the worst way.

Barry wanted to kill him.

"C'mon, Flash," Harrison hissed. "Let's see what you've got. Why don't you make your mother proud, don't let her die in vain."

Gritting his teeth, Barry charged across the clearing towards Harrison with yellow streaks behind him. Harrison smirked and charged towards him as well, leaving red streaks behind him.

The streaks of lightning combined into orange flashes as the two became locked in combat.

* * *

 **A/N:** I usually don't leave titles for chapters up but because this one was so long I needed to.

But I bet you all didn't see that coming! I was excited with this idea as soon as I thought of it. And Cadence and Caitlin are friends again after everything. And we saw Cisco's powers get stronger. Who knows what else is going to happen!

One thing I can say for sure is that there's a big breakthrough for one of the characters of the story that I'm excited for you all to see. I'm just excited in general, lol. Let me know what you thought and I'll update again soon.

 **-Riles**


	38. AI

**.:38:.**

* * *

Barry and Harrison swirled around their enclosed room over and over again. At one point they were running through the sewers, another point they were back in the small room.

Over and over.

The blasts of lightning that bounced around created a mini-storm throughout the enclosed space. Barry and Harrison traded punches as they flung each other back and forth along the room. But that didn't deter them as they speed healed and quickly fired back another punch towards the other.

For a while Barry had the upper hand against Harrison. Due to being smaller, lither, he was able to move a bit faster in terms of the smaller room they were in. With quick thinking he blocked the punches and grabs Harrison tried to put against him. He ducked under Harrison's grab and sped around him, sending punches flying into his face, neck, chest, stomach, and back as he moved around Harrison. Harrison grunted and fell to his knees as Barry continued to punch him.

Then he shot up his arm, deflecting Barry's hits, and sent a solid punch into Barry's stomach. One filled with so much power and speed that he skidded backwards across the ground. Then he shot back to his feet with Harrison right behind him, starting the electrical storm all over again.

At one point he found himself behind the ladder in the middle of the room and Harrison punched through it to grab him. Barry then grasped Harrison's arm and pulled it hard through the ladder at a grotesque angle that broke his arm.

Harrison screamed in pain then phased through the ladder and grabbed Barry around the neck with his good hand, pressing Barry against the wall behind him. He squeezed hard on Barry's neck. Barry gasped for air; bringing his hands up to Harrison's to pry them off. He looked up into Harrison's face, eyes widening when he saw Harrison's glowing a crazed shade of red.

Harrison, with his free hand now healed, grasped Barry's arm and wrenched it, throwing him hard across the room. As he twisted and turned through the air, Barry saw he was heading towards the ladder and flung out his arms. He grasped the outside rung of the ladder and used the momentum to swing himself around. He kicked out his feet and struck Harrison in the chest as he leapt towards him, ready to finish him off. Harrison flew back into a concrete wall behind him, back first, with a sickening crack and fell to the ground.

Barry let go of the ladder and dropped to the ground in a low crouch. He watched breathing heavily, as Harrison lay on the ground, twisted in a grotesque shape; his upper half twisted towards Barry with his back and lower half seemed to be shifted in two different directions as if his body had turned into a Z. Barry watched as Harrison took a few deep breaths then reached up his hands and pressed them to the ground.

Harrison pushed his upper body upwards and Barry winced as there was a loud cracking sound as he did so. Due to his medical and forensics training he could tell Harrison's spine was healing at the same time that Harrison moved, causing the bones to creak and scrape against each other. Finally, Harrison pushed himself up enough into a sitting position. He reached behind him; laying his hands flat on the ground, then straightened even further, bringing his legs beneath him as he stood.

Finally upright, Harrison grinned as Barry looked on in horror.

 _He's a lot stronger than I thought. If he can heal that fast…_ Barr's eyes jerked around the room, looking for a quick escape.

Harrison glanced at him and let out a low chuckle. "What? You've never seen someone with a spinal injury before? That's the last time I'll take rapid healing for granted." He cleared his throat and started to stretch his arms. "You wouldn't understand how hard it is to not have the use of your legs. But I have to admit, your trick of using the ladder to your advantage was very clever." He started to walk towards Barry, with Barry instinctively taking a step back for each step forward. "Just not clever enough."

"What do you want?"

Harrison's eyebrows rose. "I just want to go home."

"Home where?"

"That's an even longer story I don't think you're able to understand at the moment. But you have a really big part in it. I would've been able to go home sooner if it weren't for your mother protecting you so well. Your father, too. I was going to kill you that night but instead you got away and I couldn't leave." Harrison shrugged. "And now here we are."

Barry continued to take steps backwards then bumped into something. From the way he hit whatever was behind him, Barry knew it wasn't the wall he had run into. He quickly turned around and found Harrison standing behind him. Barry looked over and saw Harrison still across the room. As his eyes widened he was grabbed around the throat and flung back across the room, where he was hit with a solid punch to the back.

Barry fell. Stars exploded in front of his eyes while his breath exploded from his mouth. A pitiful, wheezing grunt escaped his lips. He tried to turn onto his side but his body refused to move. His brain signals weren't moving to the right body parts. A sickening shade of maroon lowered over his vision and he continued to lie on the ground screaming at himself to get up, to wiggle a toe, to do _something_.

Barry breathed in and released what sounded like a whimper, causing Harrison to roll his eyes.

"Don't start crying now Flash, I'm not going to kill you yet. I want to have a little bit of fun first."

There was a low growl and Barry shifted his gaze and watched with growing horror as a shadow like figure lumbered towards him, the sound of it stomping feet drowning out the dripping water of the sewers. The low, threatening growl let him know who it was.

Grodd.

Barry whispered a quick, "No," as he was grabbed by the leg and lifted up into the air, dangling over the ground. He tried to twist himself back and forth but could scarcely find the strength within himself to move.

 _/Don't touch father/_

The words rumbled through Barry's head.

"And to think you're supposed to be the Fastest Man Alive. Either way, this should be fun. I'm sure you know what it is that chimpanzees, or in this case a gorilla, can do."

Barry closed his eyes.

Everything happened at one.

There was a sudden burst of light and Barry found himself falling to the concrete once more. Rolling onto his back he found Ray in his suit, turning around in the cramped room from where he had just struck Grodd, who stumbled backwards. Grodd's eyes narrowed and he roared loudly, showing off his razor sharp teeth. Then he noticed Ronnie—or in this case Firestorm—and Cadence hovering in front of Grodd, sending blasts of steam into the gorilla's face.

Barry nearly screamed in fright as Brady suddenly phased up through the floor in front of him. He hadn't seen him coming and then there he was, as if pulled out of a rabbit's hat.

"Don't ever do that again," Barry said, trying to catch his breath.

"Sorry," Brady said. He helped Barry to his feet and they turned towards the others. With the steam blowing into Grodd's face the gorilla backed away, further into the tunnel.

Ray hovered by Barry's side, looking at a screen on his forearm. "Cisco, Caitlin, we got to Barry. But it looks like Grodd is blocking our only way out."

Barry let out a sigh of relief when he heard Caitlin say back, "It looks like Grodd is retreating. You should be able to get out of there soon."

"How are the others holding up?" Cisco asked.

Barry turned the other way and watched as Cadence and Ronnie continued to send vents of steam up to Grodd. Then Cadence lowered her hand and turned towards Harrison, who stood aside, watching the group.

Their eyes locked and for a moment Barry saw a flash of sorrow over Harrison's face before he took a step forward and raced out of the sewer leaving a streak of red lightning behind him.

.

..

...

Barry ran his hands over his face and turned to face the others. "I don't know what you did to fix your suit, Ray, but trust me when I say I owe my life to you," he said to Ray Palmer.

Ray smiled back at him. He tried to suppress the large grin that worked its way to his face but failed. "If anything I should be thanking you guys for letting me help. I mean what a rush." Then he noticed that no one else was smiling. "But I was glad to help. Though I couldn't help but notice that that gorilla got away."

"That's not the most important thing we have to worry about right now," Caitlin said quietly. She smoothed her hair out of her face. "What are we going to do about Dr. Wells?"

"You mean Eobard Thawne?" Barry shot back.

"Thawne?" Cadence repeated. "You mean like _Eddie_ Thawne?"

"Like Eddie Thawne."

"Wait, how is that possible?" Cisco asked. He tilted his head to the side, eyes shifting back and forth. "Well, I mean, unless Eddie has something that he wants to tell us. Which would be convenient considering he only just found out about Barry."

"So what does he want exactly?" Ronnie asked. He rested his hands atop his head and let out a low breath. "It seems like you've really done something to piss him off."

"I have to agree," Professor Stein said. He sniffed and rubbed his nose. "Though not quite in the same words. He's targeting you specifically, Mr. Allen. I can't imagine what you could've done to make him so angry."

"I didn't die. He told me when he came to my house the night my mother died, that he wanted to kill me. But I got away." Barry closed his eyes.

He could still hear his mother's screams, his father's desperate pleads, and his shouting for his mother. He could still feel the rush of wind around him as the Man in Yellow raced through the apartment. He could still feel the cold air that hit him when he was taken from the house a few miles away.

"So is Eobard Thawne my grandfather? Does he really want to hurt us?"

Barry felt his blood run cold as he turned towards Brady. Or at least where he thought Brady was. He seemed to be the only one that noticed Brady wasn't there was Cadence and Cisco immediately started to argue with each other.

"You told him that?" Cadence asked.

Cisco looked offended. "No! I didn't tell him. I wouldn't ever tell him, you told me not to. He probably overheard us."

"Not when we were talking that quietly."

Barry continued to look around. His worried expression caught Caitlin's eye and she tilted her head to the side silently asking 'what's wrong?'

"Do you honestly think I would tell him that his grandfather is a murderer who may or may not be after us?" He grabbed onto Cadence's shoulders. "You know I wouldn't do that."

"Where's Brady?" Barry finally asked. That grabbed everyone's attention as they looked around as well.

"I'm right here," Brady replied.

But still Barry didn't see him. His eyes swept around the Cortex before finally landing on Brady, who sat cross-legged on a chair nearby. He frowned, almost looking offended.

"Did you just move? I didn't see you there a second ago," Ronnie said.

"Nor did I," Professor Stein agreed.

"No, I was sitting right here. I didn't move."

Cisco suddenly started to smile. He reached out and slapped Ray on the arm, who was smiling as well. "See, I told you that something else was going to happen. I just didn't know what it was going to be."

"What are you talking about?" Cadence asked.

"So Brady has the ability to phase. That obviously comes in handy considering the fact that because of those powers he's basically invincible. He can walk through walls, sink through the ground, anything basically. And it looks like he's also gotten the ability to 'phase into is surroundings' so to speak," Cisco explained.

"So like a chameleon that can match its coloring to the environments around him," Caitlin added.

"Exactly," Ray agreed. "It was actually something we were talking about earlier. While working on my suit. What other abilities can, hypothetically, be grown into. At some point I think Cadence would have enough control over her powers to be able to become smoke or become fire so to speak. Just as I think that Barry might eventually be able to learn how to phase as well; vibrating his cells fast enough he can move through anything."

"Well, if Brady can really do that then it'll come in handy," Ronnie agreed.

"More than that, I can give him his metahuman name," Cisco declared, rubbing his hands together.

"Really?" Brady perked up.

"I've been thinking about this for a while, trying to figure out what would be the best one. And with this new ability I know it's perfect."

"Quit with the theatrics, Cisco," Caitlin said. Her voice was dull and emotionless. As if everything in her life had suddenly been ripped away from her.

Barry understood how she felt.

Still, there had to be some bright spots in the darkness they were currently facing. Something that would keep them uplifted as they moved to do the hardest thing they ever thought they'd have to. Barry never thought someone so close to him could betray him so easily. He didn't think he'd fall for it for a second time.

"What about Shadowhunter?"

Barry smiled as Brady turned his way, silently asking for his approval. "I think it's a great one, Cisco. Dr. Wells won't know what hit him."

"It's not Dr. Wells, its Eobard Thawne," Cadence insisted, her voice suddenly breaking. "My dad wouldn't do this."

Barry took a deep breath. "He did do it, Cade. He betrayed all of us."

"No, he didn't. He wouldn't. It's not him!"

"Cade—"

"I spent a lot of time with him. I got to know him. That man that was in there wasn't him. I don't know how, but it wasn't. There has to—"

"Cade!" Barry crossed the room and grabbed the sides of her face, causing her protests to get stuck in her mouth. He looked into her eyes, sensing and feeling the imaginable amount of pain the truth exhibited upon her body. He could feel her starting to tremble at the same time her skin warmed under his hands. "I'm _sorry_ but Dr. Wells of whoever this is is doing this! He wants to kill me! He wants to kill us. I'm sorry."

Cadence closed her mouth and nodded, turning away.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Brady asked, his small voice breaking the tension of the room.

"We'll have to track Dr. Wells…" Professor Stein trailed off for a second and briefly closed his eyes. He cleared his throat, clasping his hands together in front of him. "We'll have to track this person that is trying to hurt all of us. I mean, we were able to track Barry, we should be able to track him as well if my understanding of how this works is correct?"

"That might be harder than you think. He moves faster, faster than Barry. And he's outsmarted us so many times so far," Caitlin said.

"Well we can't sit here and do nothing. So our only option right now is to at least try to see where he would strike first," Ronnie insisted.

With that, the group spread apart. Cadence walked over to Brady and sat next to him. Brady looked up at his mother in concern, patting her hand. Ronnie and Professor Stein went to a computer to scan the city. Cisco dropped down to his desk and turned away from the others. And Caitlin let out a low sigh, pushing her hair behind her ears.

"Hey, are you okay?" Barry started towards her.

She eyed him warily and took a step back. Then her face softened and she appeared ashamed. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just…a lot to get through you know? I mean, I didn't think you guys were lying. But it's still hard to believe that we were wrong about him. About everything."

"I know. But we don't have a choice of what to do to move forward. We need to stay one step ahead of him as much as possible and separate our personal feelings from it. Because it's not really him." He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him once more. Caitlin reached out and rubbed his shoulder, giving him a smile. Barry smiled back to say his thanks.

He started to turn away from Caitlin and something on Cisco's computer caught his eye. He noticed flashes of STAR Labs flying across the screen with a click of the mouse. He moved closer to the screen. "What are you doing?"

"After the Particle Accelerator exploded I built a 3D model of Star Labs so I could pinpoint exactly what happened," Cisco explained. He sighed and moved his long hair off his neck. "I never had a reason to check for anything outside of the Cortex or the Pipeline. But if Dr. Wells really is Eobard Thawne then he had to be hiding something somewhere in here. I've never seen him go anywhere else but here or his house. And something tells me he wasn't stupid enough to leave anything in his house."

"Especially not after we were there the first time," Caitlin agreed.

"Cait, did you ever see anything those times you were at his place?" Cisco asked.

Barry's eyes widened, Caitlin closed her eyes, and Cisco moved a hand to cover his mouth. Out of the corner of his eye Barry could see Ronnie turn around in his seat to look at the three, an indistinguishable look on his face. Cadence's eyebrows came together as she thought for a moment, and then an expression of clarity came to her face.

"I'm not calling you my step-mother," she said lightly.

Caitlin gave a very brief smile. "No, I didn't see anything," She whispered.

"Figures, he's always one step ahead of everything," Cisco murmured. He continued to scroll through the different rooms and levels of STAR Labs, suddenly coming to a stop when a room flashed red. "Whoa, what's this?"

"Is that supposed to be there?" Caitlin asked. She squinted, tilting her head to the side. "I don't think I've seen it before."

"Neither have I," Cisco agreed. He quickly jotted down where the location of the room was and got to his feet with Caitlin and Barry moving aside so they didn't get hit by his office chair. "Come on."

Cadence indicated for Brady to stay still before she followed the three. The group walked down from the cortex to what appeared to be an empty hallway. Cisco looked up from the screen of the device he held and up to the blank wall in front of him. "It says this is where the room should be."

"Maybe it's got a false wall," Cadence suggested. "Like in the movies."

Barry took a step forward and pressed his hands along the seemingly blank wall, looking for something. Anything. Then the door opened and the three stepped inside, the room illuminating. The sudden light was so bright the four shielded their faces with their hands until their eyes adjusted. Still, Barry blinked rapidly as he inched his way inside.

He held a hand up over his eyes, venturing further into the room. Finally, his eyes adjusted and he turned to find the Reverse-Flash suit in the otherwise empty room. The case holding the suit was very futuristic with some sort of invisible glass he hadn't seen before. Caitlin reached out a hand to touch the glass then quickly pulled it back as if burned.

"Well, that erased the last bit of any doubt I had," Cisco murmured.

 _Me too._ Barry twisted around and found a small pedestal on the other side of the room and walked towards it, staring.

His mouth dropped open.

"Guys," he said. "Check this out."

 _Flash Missing: Vanishes in Crisis._

He didn't start reading until Cisco, Cadence, and Caitlin were all at his side. "After an epic street battle with the Reverse-Flash our city's very own Scarlett Speedster disappeared in an explosion of light." _An explosion of light? Disappeared?_

"Look at the date," Caitlin whispered.

"So this is from the future," Cadence said.

Barry's eyes shifted upwards and he found himself gasping quietly. April 25, 2024. He gaped at it, opening and closing his mouth as he tried to find words. "Guys, when I fought the Reverse Flash at Christmas he said we'd be fighting for centuries."

Cisco blinked rapidly. "That means that Dr. Wells is also from the future. Or Eddie's relative is from the future? I'm so confused."

"Check out the byline."

"Iris West-Thawne," Barry read. So that meant Iris and Eddie were going to be okay. He sighed in relief. Nothing was going to happen to them. But what did that mean for everyone else if this was from the future. He swallowed hard, trying to make sense of everything, and then jumped when a translucent face appeared in front of the four.

"Good evening Barry Allen," the face said.

Cadence started to conjure flames around her hands, ready to shoot the flames at the face but he quickly grabbed her arm, stopping her. He glanced at Cisco and Caitlin, who nodded, urging him to continue. "Uh, hi." He swallowed hard. "Y-you know who I am?"

"Of course." The face nodded once. "Barry Allen. Director of Central City Police. CSI Division. Also known as the Flash, founding member of the—"

"What are you?" Barry interrupted.

"And what are you made of exactly?" Cisco added.

"I am Gideon, an interactive artificial consciousness."

"Cool, an AI!"

Barry shot Cisco a disapproving glance and asked Gideon another question. "You know Dr. Wells?"

"Yes."

"Do you know who _he_ really is?" That may have been a dumb question. They already knew from everything they've seen. But to have a 100% sure answer, to have a tool at their disposal to figure out what he wanted or planned to do was too much to pass up.

Gideon, however, didn't seem to understand Barry's sentiments. "I don't understand the question."

"Why did he come here?" Caitlin blurted.

"To kill Barry Allen."

"Okay, we've got that cleared up. He really does want to kill you," Cadence said, her voice flat.

 _There's still plenty of things we don't know. But what should we ask first?_ Barry rubbed his hands together. He breathed deeply and when he breathed out his breath hitched. Sadness washed over him the way it always did when he thought of his mother. "Why did he kill Nora Allen?'

"Because he was angry."

"About what?"

"That you escaped?"

"What does he want from me?"

"For you to be the Flash."

The sound of a record scratch would've been perfect at that moment, at the revelation. The perplexed expressions of the four would've been laughable if it weren't for the serious situation they were in.

"So that's why he let the accelerator explode. So you could become the Flash," Caitlin said. She gently shook her head. "Hartley was right. He knew about the effects, the dangers that the Particle Accelerator would cause and he tried to warn Dr. Wells. But Dr. Well, er, Eobard, whoever, know _exactly_ what he was doing. This _entire_ time."

"Which means he's been watching us. The whole time." Barry ran his hands through his hair, the truth bomb landing in his stomach with a sickening thud. He started to pace back and forth, unsure of what to do. Without Dr. Wells there in the moment things were too dangerous. He could get away and do whatever it was he wanted. They needed to stop him.

If only they knew how.

Barry came to a screeching halt when Cadence reached out her hand and placed it on his chest. She looked at him and nodded towards Gideon. "If this thing is here, maybe we can find a way to have Gideon in our possession. Tell us some things that Harrison"—painfully, she closed her eyes—"that Harrison had planned."

"Good idea, Cade. Gideon..uh, would you…um…if Dr. Wells ever comes back could you _not_ tell him that we were in here?"

"Yes. Of course. I accept any commands made by you."

"Why?"

"Because you created me."

Cisco made a whining sound. "Aw, why does all the cool stuff get to happen to you? I'd _kill_ to have one of these at my apartment. It'd make getting dressed in the morning that much easier." Caitlin glared and he corrected himself, "I mean, just think about how this is going to help us now."

"What are you going to do, Barry?" Caitlin asked quietly.

"I'm going to come up with a plan to stop him. No matter what."

* * *

 **A/N:** This chapter was incredibly long before I split it in half, so chapter 39 will be up fairly soon.

We're almost at chapter 40 and then, just like the last chapter, is when the final part of the story starts. I think that's what I'd do with every story depending on how things play out. That being said, I plan to have the sequel to this, now entitled _Fuel to the Fire_ to be up before season 3 starts airing. I originally said this story will be done in 50 chapters but depending on how things play out as I wind down it may finish earlier.

Thanks to those that favorited, alerted, and reviewed. The same day that the final chapter to _Crossfire_ is posted, I'll post the first chapter to _Fuel To The Fire_ so you don't have to wait so long. Then I'll be going back to _Flash Fire_ and _Crossfire_ and do some edits/fix things that may not have made sense, or that were weak.

Thanks for sticking with me, guys. I'll have the next chapter up soon.

 **-Riles**

 **PS -** If you had been reading _Sparks Fly,_ its re-write _When We Collide Sparks Fly_ is now up. So go check it out!


	39. The Calm

**.:39:.**

* * *

Eddie flung himself back against a brick wall and squeezed his eyes at the sound of bullets ricocheting off the maroon building material. Despite the many years he put into his career, working his way up the police force, it was always hard to get used to the slight sense of fear that would creep up. Not knowing the call they were sent out on would be the last one they would ever make. Having a cloudy mind would jeopardize all of that and yet Eddie couldn't help but think about the fact that he knew who the Flash was.

His just couldn't wrap his mind around it; how someone like Barry Allen was also able to be The Flash. Was able to race around the city saving lives within the blink of an eye that would probably take the CCPD a week to do. And yet there he was, continuing to put himself out in the line of fire to continue to protect the city. And it still scared him.

Finally, there was a break in the gunfire and Eddie popped his head around the corner once more. He raised his pistol and aimed in the direction the gunfire had come from. Joe, who was across the alley from him, did the same and the two rapid-fire shot back towards the criminals. All of a sudden there was a gust of wind that nearly knocked Eddie over. He watched as yellow streaks shot across his field of vision, nearly blocked out by the sunlight, and continued to twist and twirl around in front of him. Next thing he knew, the two gunmen were sitting on the ground in front of him, tied together, with a bag full of cash sitting next to them.

The lightning streaks came to a stop as Barry stood next to them, dusting off his hands. "They put up a bigger fight than I thought they would." Eddie's eyebrows came together as he listened to Barry's distorted voice. Or what those at STAR Labs called 'flashing his voice' so that no one was able to recognize it.

Eddie had heard it a few times while out on calls and the Flash would appear. But now knowing who it was, it was pretty obvious as to who was the face behind the mask. He briefly wondered if Cadence did the same thing as Flare—something else he was trying to wrap his mind around. Guilt plagued him every now and then; he had tried to get together a task force to take down the Flash and at one point and Flare had even saved him when the Flash tried to attack him.

His head was in a tailspin.

"It doesn't look like it," Eddie remarked, slowly holstering his gun. He walked over to the robbers who continued to wiggle back and forth, trying to bust out of their constraints.

"This could've been a lot worse than it was," Joe pointed out. He walked up next to Eddie and patted him on the shoulder. "If Barry hadn't come around, then this could've been a hostage situation, a shootout, many people could've been in danger."

"Compared to the metahumans you mean?" Eddie asked in a low voice.

Joe and Barry exchanged a glance.

Eddie turned away from them, shaking his head. It was getting harder and harder to accept the truth of the city. There were many things going on that he didn't know about. Things in a world that he wouldn't believe if he didn't see it with his own eyes. Even dealing with Captain Cold and Mick Rory that one time had been like something out of a movie.

And now here was The Flash, popping up around corners and taking down those that had the powers he could only see in movies.

And to know that Harrison Wells was behind the whole thing? That was hardest part to understand. Not to mention his sudden disappearance from Central City.

"The metas haven't really been a problem lately, but it is something that we have to put some of our attention towards," Barry agreed. He shook his head, reaching up to pull off his hood then seemed to change his mind, dropping his hand.

With a sudden burst of speed Barry took the criminals and locked them in the back of the police cruiser. When he reappeared with Joe and Eddie he pulled off his hood, slightly out of breath. "Speaking of metas, have you found Dr. Wells anywhere?"

Joe was silent for a long moment, looking at Barry. When Eddie glanced at him it appeared he was doing his best to keep from saying what he really wanted to say. And Eddie had the sudden feeling it had something to do with him. "We have an APB out for him," Joe replied. "But chances are he may be long gone by now."

"And you're sure he's the one that killed your mother?" Eddie asked Barry. He looked into Barry's eyes, looking for any sort of hesitation. Instead, all he saw was sorrow.

"Yes, I'm sure." He licked his lips and glanced at Joe for a minute then back to Eddie once more. "It's hard to explain, but I know for sure. He confirmed it to me. To Joe, to Cisco and Caitlin."

"So STAR Labs has something to do with this?"

"Not in the way you're thinking. Caitlin and Cisco, they didn't know anything about Dr. Wells and what he was planning. They're innocent of anything that could possibly come their way."

"So if he killed your mother that means he's the man in yellow so…" Eddie swallowed hard, slowly starting to understand everything. "So he has powers too. He can move as fast as you can."

"Maybe even faster," Joe agreed.

Eddie nodded once more. He looked at his watch and back to the cruiser he and Joe took to the crime scene. "We should be getting back to the CCPD; Captain Singh is going to start wondering where we are." He walked to the passenger side and climbed into the seat. A yawn escaped his lips before he could stop it. It seemed like these criminals were starting to work earlier and earlier.

After a nice night with Iris complete with seeing a movie and having a nice dinner, the last thing he wanted was for that bliss to be interrupted by an early morning call. But that was the life of a police detective, things were always happening 24/7 and there was nothing that could be done about it.

"Hey." Eddie looked up; realizing Joe was suddenly sitting next to him. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something." Eddie shook his head and Joe sighed. "Look, I know this is really hard for you to wrap your head around—"

"—I don't like lying about it," Eddie interrupted. He held up his hand. "I get that you want to do what's best for her. I get that you're trying to keep people's secrets and keep people safe but I don't like lying about this." Eddie glanced into the backseat of the car and noticed the criminals were knocked out. Barry must've taken care of them before putting them in the car.

Or the speed that Barry moved them had knocked them out or something. Like when he was about six years old and at the fair, riding the spinning ride. Someone had asked for an increase of speed and the next thing he knew, he was waking up with park employees pressing ice packs to his face and neck.

"Eddie, this is something that we have to keep a secret. The more people that know about Barry, about _metahumans_ the better chance we have of a citywide panic. And we can't have that. The more things go out of control…"

"Things are already out of control, Joe! There's a guy whose running around out there who should be brought in and tried for murder. He moves so fast that he can kill anyone before they have another thought. How is that keeping anyone safe? How does that keep Iris safe?"

"Her not knowing is for her protec—"

"Bullshit!" Eddie interrupted. "I'm sorry, Joe, but that's pure bullshit. Iris can take care of herself. I've seen her do it many times before and you _know_ that she can. She's already seen the Man in Yellow. She was the one who told you he was back in the city. Thanks to her, you probably wouldn't know his real identity. And now you know and you're just going to sit back and hope he comes back into the city to catch him?"

"Barry, Cadence, Cisco, and Caitlin have been looking for him, tracking him for the last three days. We're not sitting around waiting for him to come back."

Eddie clenched his hand into a fist and slammed it down on the dashboard. His strike was so loud it made Joe jump. So loud he was surprised the men in the back hadn't woken up. "And you expect us to do what? Sit around and wait with our thumbs up our asses?"

Joe swiftly turned in his seat and grasped Eddie by the neck. Not in an intimidating grip, not in a way to show that Joe was angry at him. But in a way that showed he understood. It was much like a fatherly grasp to make sure the son was paying attention to him.

"Do you think I like keeping this a secret from her?" Joe asked. His voice came out raspy and with a slight quiver, betraying his emotions of the situation. "Do you think I like to know that I continue to lie to her as the days pass? Barry begged me to tell her once he first received his powers and I told him not to. I can't imagine what would happen if everyone who's trying to hurt Barry caught Iris in the crossfire. I'm trying to keep her safe!"

"She'll be safer if she knows!" Eddie said. He said it through gritted teeth causing it to come out harsher than he intended. "She's a _journalist_ , Joe! She's probably putting herself in more danger than anyone else from that alone! You were the one who told her to stop investigating Dr. Wells and she did that, but now she's investigating The Flash. She wants to know who he is and won't stop until she does!"

Joe closed his eyes and dropped his hand from Eddie's neck.

"And if you know anything about Iris you know she's not going to give up. I think, on some level, she already knows."

Joe continued to lean back in his seat, eyes closed, breathing heavily. Finally, he lifted his hands and grasped the keys that sat in the ignition. "We need to get these guys in for booking."

"Fine."

Eddie leaned back in his seat, rubbing his temples as Joe headed back towards the CCPD. "It's so hard to keep up with who knows what and who doesn't," he remarked.

Joe chuckled. "You'll get used to it."

.

..

...

Barry had never been so tired in his entire life. He had put in long hours of racing around Central City and other neighboring cities to look for Dr. Wells. Got little sleep—with his thoughts racing enough so when he was called in for work he only had a few hours of shut eye. Then he had to go through his day as if things were normal.

As he and Iris went to their Zumba class that morning—of which Barry was still trying to get out of—he couldn't help but notice that Cadence seemed to be going through the motions as well. When he caught her eye she gave a fleeting smile and turned away, almost completely distracted.

Still, no one else seemed the wiser despite Barry rapidly shot his eyebrows upwards to keep his lids from falling shut. Not even a shot of Espresso from Jitters could keep him going. Thankfully Iris was energized enough not to notice the difference.

"Oh God, I don't think I'm going to be able to bend for at least another week," Iris complained, slowly lowering herself down into the seat opposite of Barry, passing him a steaming mug. "That class really kicked my butt today."

"Which is strange considering you used to be a dancer," Barry pointed out.

"I believe you'll find the words 'used to' to be generous," Iris pointed out. "I was not a dancer at all. My cousin is a dancer; I just like to do it for fun." She wrapped her hands around her mug and brought it closer to her body. "And if we're talking about things we used to do in the past, I played field hockey and was part of the Student Government. And, by the way, my speech was one hundred times better than your acceptance speech after winning the Science Fair for the, what, fifth year in a row."

Barry made a face as he swallowed his mouthful of coffee. He felt himself starting to wake up a little. "First of all, it was the Synopsis Science and Technology Championship for future scientists, technology experts, engineers, and mathematicians," Barry corrected her.

Iris made a face, making him laugh.

"And secondly, the only reason your speech was so good was because you _begged_ me to help you with it."

"I didn't _beg_ you," Iris said.

"Yes. Yes, you did. And I remember because you bugged me about it for three days, moaning and groaning and saying you were going to embarrass yourself and blah blah blah." Barry laughed, leaning out of the way to fend himself from Iris throwing her napkin at him. "No, Iris your speech was good. Everything you did was good. You didn't become valedictorian of your class for nothing."

"Yeah," Iris agreed with a bashful smile. She blew on her hand and buffed it along her shirt. "I was that good. Seriously Bare, you really did help me with a lot of things. And Dad, too. You know he wouldn't let me give up when things got hard."

Barry grimaced.

That wasn't really what he wanted to hear.

"Apart from trying to follow in his footsteps," She continued, looking down in her mug as if something was written at the bottom. Her eyebrow twitched upwards as she pressed her lips together. It was a conversation topic that was always hard to bring up.

With a light shake of his head, Barry tried to think of the words that were going to help. "You know he was just trying to protect you."

"I know, but I don't need to be protected," Iris insisted. "I've been briefed on self-defense practically since I was born. I know how to use a gun. I know how to stay calm in any situation such as a robbery, a carjacking, a nuclear bombing for all I care. I can protect myself more than I need anyone to protect me."

"Right and you can stand up to those metahumans that are running around just fine," Barry said with a lift of his eyebrow.

Iris stuck her nose into the air. "I can so. And not just because I know what I'm doing, but because the Flash is out here and ready to save anyone that needs help." She reached out and gently pushed her spoon around in her mug. "I don't know, sometimes I feel like he's like a guardian angel to me. He's saved me so many times."

Barry tried not to let the smile on his face be too noticeable. He cleared his throat and rested his palm over his mouth as not to make it obvious.

"But you spend a lot of time working with STAR Labs," Iris said, snapping Barry out of his thoughts. It was such a change in conversation topic that he could practically hear car tires squealing in his head. "And the CCPD I mean. Dad never tells me anything about the metahuman cases, how they're all classified. But you've worked with Caitlin and Cisco on many occasions, even Dr. Wells. You all must have some idea on who the Flash really is? I'd like to personally thank him sometime."

 _Oh, he's no one. Just the guy sitting in front of you,_ Barry thought. But he did his best to appear nonchalant. As nonchalant as he could be without acting like a total nut job. He was supposed to act like things were okay when all he wanted to do was race off and look for Dr. Wells again. "N-No, w-we, we, don't really talk about it. I mean, I'm sure even they don't know who he is." He finished his coffee and set it aside. "But if I did I'd tell you."

"Because we're best friends," Iris agreed.

She reached out and grabbed his hand, something she always did and he froze under her touch. It was just…weird. Wrong. This was Iris. Yeah, he had been in love with her for a long time but she was also his best friend. They used to hug and stuff all the time. But this time it was different.

Or maybe it was just him.

Maybe it was his guilt knowing that Eddie wouldn't like it? That had to be it. They didn't talk much about Iris's relationship since she started to date Eddie or when she moved in with him. When the two were dating other people throughout middle and high school they told each other everything and got advice. But now…they didn't do that. Iris didn't share that part of her life with him.

Did she share it with Eddie? He probably wouldn't like that sign of affection…

Cadence probably wouldn't either. That was it. He liked her, he _really_ did, but things were too hard to have a relationship.

Maybe he was doomed to a life without being able to settle down.

Licking his lips, Barry continued, "And as far as I can tell, they just call him in whenever they need his help. It's only when our cases with the CCPD cross with metas that I really go over there. Not so much at all."

"So they know nothing at all? Not even what he can do?"

"Well, I guess we can just speculate," Barry insisted.

Iris squeezed his hand then removed it to her lap. She then looked at the ceiling with a dreamlike smile on her face. "I bet he can run faster than a bullet."

"Well, he's the fastest man alive," Barry interrupted, feeling himself go on autopilot as he spoke about his abilities. "And if he can go at least the speed of sound that means he's at least able to go faster than a speeding bullet. I'd say closer to 500 miles per hour by now." He cleared his throat as Iris turned back to him, eyebrows furrowing together. "I mean, that's just a guess. You know…with science and…and everything."

Iris continued to watch him for a minute.

A line of sweat formed at Barry's hairline. He started to reach up to rub his neck then winced and brought it down again, bicep straining to do its job.

Iris laughed at his discomfort. "I guess Cadence really kicked _your_ butt today, too." She leaned towards him, dark lips pulling back into a teasing smile. "Shouldn't you be used to it by now? I mean, you did all of those musical theatre classes when you were in school."

"Yeah, but that's different than doing it every day," Barry pointed out. "And for having a teacher that's so sadistic," he added under his breath. He was sure Cadence had purposefully stuck him with the woman who was heavier than him during her class that morning. The laughter she barely managed to keep in when her eyes shifted his way was a testament to that. "When I was doing it in high school it was every day for as long as production went on, not _every day_."

"Yeah, but she's good at it," Iris said. Barry's eyebrows lowered when he noticed the meaningful expression on her face. No, not meaningful. There was something else there, but he wasn't quite sure what it was. "You two seem to have grown really close. I mean, she's your Zumba teacher and works at the CCPD now…"

"Yeah, well she needed the job or else she wouldn't have been able to stay in Central City," Barry explained without giving too much away. "And she was the one that went and got the job herself so…" he shrugged. "It's been pretty cool. It's good to know someone other than Joe has my back there and isn't constantly calling me Baby Face."

Actually, he wondered why Iris and Cadence weren't closer friends. Iris and Caitlin were close and the hung out at Jitters and at the bar every now and then. Cadence and Caitlin were best friends. But the three weren't particularly together. And Barry remembered the small jabs that Iris sent Cadence's way when they were speaking about the Man in Yellow.

 _It seemed to come out of nowhere,_ Barry thought.

He was broken out of his thoughts once more when Iris asked, "Does she know the identity of the Flash?"

 _Yes._ Barry blinked. "Not that I'm aware of. Captain Singh won't let us talk about him too much. Not unless our current case has to do with him. I don't know, I think he's still in the mindset of the Task Force, no matter how much the Flash has helped us."

Barry looked away. He _didn't_ give anything away did he? It got so exhausting all the time. Having to keep his secret a secret, Cadence's secret a secret, Caitlin's, Cisco's, and Dr. Wells's secret a secret, and knowing Joe and Eddie were in on it.

Being able to feel completely relaxed was a commodity he didn't have and probably would never half for as long as he had his powers. He kept forgetting who knew what and whether or not he was supposed to know something, and if he did who had he told it to…

Hanging out with Iris when he didn't have to worry about The Flash was always great. Few and far between but great. It was a fine price to pay to hang out with the best friend he felt he was starting to drift away from. Then again, she had her own life with Eddie and he had his own life with…all of STAR Labs. But they had their shared life with Joe, a childhood they couldn't forget so what was the problem if they didn't talk to each other all the time.

 _Guilt,_ he reminded himself.

Finally, he realized the silence that stretched from Iris and looked over at her once more. This time her expression was even more of what he couldn't quite comprehend.

"What about Flash Fire?" She asked. "Do you guys have any ideas who she is?"

"It's Flare," Barry corrected her once more, a little annoyed. The conversation topic was starting to anger him. It was the only thing Iris seemed to talk about now. "And no, we don't know who she is either? Why are you asking so much?" Then he understood. "It's for another article isn't it?"

Pressing her lips together Iris hesitated. "You know they only want me to write stories about The Flash."

"So write stories about The Flash, Iris. And Flare, she's really helping him. I know the city really knows about the Flash but they _are_ partners. And besides, the more you go into his identity the more you're going to put yourself in danger."

"I can take care of myself, Barry. We already went over this."

"I know that, but things are getting worse with him."

"How do you know?"

"What?"

The question, somehow, had completely blindsided him. Maybe because she was directly asking him, maybe it was because of the intense look she was giving him. He started to sweat even more, reaching up to carefully wipe a bead away from his temple.

"How do you know that things are getting harder for him? How do you know that Flash Fire goes by the name of Flare now? How do you know all this stuff?"

Barry took a deep breath. "Like I said, a lot of what we do with the CCPD crosses over with the cases we work. So I can't tell you."

Now Iris was glaring at him. "You just said that you didn't know anything. So how can you not tell me something you don't know?"

"I—I don't…"

"What else has happened to you since the Particle Accelerator explosion?"

"…A lot of stuff." _At least that's the truth._ "I can't…I can't really explain it. Sometimes it's like everything has changed and I'm just running to catch up." He lifted his gaze and looked at Iris, who continued to watch him and he gave her a disarming smile. It felt wobbly, threatening to fall off. "But I've always felt that way, Iris. You know me. I'm always trying to do my best in everything. Why do you think I worked so hard at school?"

Barry rubbed his neck again, which he was startling to realize was his nervous habit. "I came out of a coma, Iris. A long coma; you couldn't have expected things to be exactly the same. I didn't. Not when I came out and realized everything around me moved on."

"Moved on," Iris repeated. "But didn't change." She stood up, smoothing down the back of her shorts. "And, sometimes, I can't help but think it's not some _thing_ but some _one_."

Barry's breath hitched in his throat.

Was she referring to The Flash…or someone else?

"Iris, I…" Barry's phone buzzing caught their attention and he quickly pulled his phone from his pocket, realizing he was being called into work.

"You have to go?" Iris asked. She stood up, pulling her purse over her shoulder. "That's funny, because I do, too."

Barry watched her leave but made no move to go after her.

.

..

...

"Mom, are you okay?"

Cadence glanced at Brady as he sat quietly in the passenger seat, looking hard at her. She turned her attention back to the road as she shrugged. "Of course, why?"

"I don't know. You just look like there's something wrong. Is it something I did? Are you still mad about sneaking out to find Grodd?"

Cadence's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "I don't know; have your ears stopped ringing from my yelling at you?" She ran a hand through her hair. "I'm fine, just thinking about some stuff."

"About Grandpa?"

A fleeting smile came to Cadence's face, realizing how close Brad and Harrison really had become before his secret was revealed. "About Harrison and some other stuff." She glanced at Brady and she found he was still looking at her. "You want me to be honest?"

"You always are," Brady reminded her.

"I'm angry at Harrison but I don't fully believe that he's the evil man he told us he was. I'm angry knowing that my mom is alive and Barry lied to me about it."

"But MaMaw has always been alive."

"I mean Tess Morgan."

"I have another grandmother?"

Cadence couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. "Yeah, I need to write up a family tree so that we can keep everything straight. Even I'm starting to become even more confused. Yeah, I'm angry about that. I'm angry at Ryder. I'm an angry about a lot of things."

She felt the steering wheel start to noticeably warm under her hands and took a deep breath to calm down. Almost immediately the warmth went away.

"But the thing is…I realized a lot of what's happened is my fault and I've never take responsibility for it. I've told you over and over again that I don't blame you for anything that's happened and I really don't. If I were to live life over I'd still have you the same way, but I wouldn't have passed off responsibility for my actions on everyone else. I've blamed my parents for years for kicking me out when I could have admitted I was wrong and scared and that I needed their help. I blamed Ryder for being a jerk for moving away and not getting in contact with him when it was really his parents that were to blame. I could've kept my relationships instead of being so angry about things that were purely my fault. Maybe then I wouldn't have screwed things up with Barry."

Brady looked stricken. "You're not dating Barry anymore?"

Cadence gave him a look. "Out of all of that the only thing you're worried about is me not dating Barry?"

"Is he still going to be my friend?"

"Yes, he's still going to be your friend. You just got your metahuman name. He can't dump you after that." She cleared her throat, focusing on the elementary school as it loomed in the distance. "The only thing I've wanted to do was be a good role model for you and I'm sorry I couldn't always be that for you."

Brady nodded.

He was silent for a long time, the longest she had ever heard her son silent before he spoke up. Something in his voice made her slow the car to a stop. "Mom, I lied." Cadence glanced at him. He sniffled. "I lied about not remembering things when the Assassination Bureau took me. I remember everything. And I can't sleep because I keep thinking about it."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Her hands dropped to her lap as she looked at him, her heart hammering tattoo against her ribcage.

"I didn't want you to be scared." He wiped at his eyes. "I was scared, Mom."

Cadence quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. She stroked his hair as he held onto her, silently crying.

.

..

...

Breathtaker turned as General Eiling slowly shuffled his way into the empty office, almost as if in a daze. The bruises that lined his arms were offset by the black eye and dried blood coming out of his nose. If Breathtaker noticed General Eiling's appearance he didn't reference it.

"What happened?" He demanded.

General Eiling slowly turned his head, eyes focusing and unfocusing before he mumbled, "Almost had him. Didn't work out," almost as if his jaw had been broken.

Breathtaker clenched his hands into fists and almost immediately there was a surge of power that blew up the computer next to him, caused a massive crack to ripple through the wall, and made the floor rumble. General Eiling stumbled backwards threw out his arms to keep himself upright.

Then Breathtaker opened his hand and the shaking stopped. "Don't worry. Anyone that doesn't have a backup plan is sure to fail. And I always have the upper hand. I just need to make sure that Brigade knows what she's doing."

"How do you plan to get to the Reverse-Flash now?"

"Through The Flash."

* * *

 **A/N:** Woohoo, finally getting to the good part with the next chapter. So what'd you think? There was a lot of admissions and revelations in this one so I hope it didn't feel too slow for you guys to read.

To amp up your excitement even more I'm working on the first few chapters to _Fuel to the Fire_ already and there are plenty of things for you to look forward to in the action and romance department. ;) Also, I plan on having that story have more of a original plot approach, much like _Flash Fire_ did, though it'll still have Zoom, Patty Spivot, and the different Earths as major plot points. Also, I think I'll have it more from Cadence's POV rather than jumping around os much. Let me know what you think.

So I'll update again soon.

 **-Riles**


	40. A Step In The Right Direction

**.:40:.**

* * *

 _Cadence sighed so heavily she could've blown over an entire card castle. Brady continued to wail in his car seat, face as red as a tomato. She rested her chin in her hand, holding a pacifier up to his mouth but he turned his head away, pushing at her hands. He started to cry even harder. Now Cadence could see some annoyed glances turning her way and she became even more annoyed._

 _It's a food court, not a library. It's not like you're not allowed to be loud here , she thought. Reaching forward, Cadence picked him up from his car seat and held him in her arms, bouncing him up and down, hoping the jostling would soothe him a little bit. But a screaming toddler was harder to console than an adult man who was having a tantrum._

 _"C'mon Brady, please stop crying." She leaned him back and glanced into his mouth. Little white nubs poked out from his gums and he continued to stick his finger into his mouth. "Are your teeth hurting? Are more teeth coming in?"_

 _Brady quieted for a second then he closed his eyes and started to wail once more. She placed him back in his car seat and gently rocked it back and forth, looking down at the half-eaten food that sat on her tray. No use in trying to finish it now as it was too cold._

 _"What's wrong, baby? Are you just throwing a tantrum?"_

 _Startled, Cadence looked over her shoulder to find a woman she had never seen before standing right behind her. Actually she was pulling out the chair that sat next to Cadence, inviting herself to sit down. "Do you need some help, honey? It looks like you haven't finished eating yet."_

 _"No, I'm fine," Cadence replied. She ran a hand through her hair, smoothing it off her forehead. And she tried her hardest not to get annoyed. No matter where she went with Brady there was always someone who had to give her funny looks, 'a kid shouldn't be having a kid', or try to give their two cents into her situation. "He's just being a little fussy today. I was finished eating anyway."_

 _"Well, it looks like you need some help. I can play with him a little if you want to finish," the woman insisted. Before Cadence could respond she reached out and started to rub her hand over Brady's stomach, tickling him lightly. Brady slowly stopped crying but he now looked at the woman with a distrusting expression._

 _No. Confused. Wondering why it wasn't his mother that was tickling him._

 _"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fi—"_

 _"—you girls always thinking you can do things yourself. But raising a kid is a lot harder than it looks. You should take the help whenever it's offered. Finish your lunch dear, I'll make sure he's okay." Cadence gritted her teeth as she watched the woman start to reach into the carrier to pick him up._

 _Brady kicked his foot at her and scrunched down in his seat but the woman continued to grab him. And Cadence snapped. She reached over and practically yanked Brady out of his car seat and into her arms, cradling the back of his head. Then she turned and glared at the woman beside her and said, "Back off my baby, bitch!"_

 _The woman was gone in a flash and Cadence bobbed her knee up and down to gently bounce Brady as she did so. Then as her frustration subsided she turned to look at Brady, noticing he was gripping her shirt and resting his cheek against her shoulder._

 _"Oh, now you want to cuddle."_

 _He lifted his head and smiled at her._

Cadence took a step back as the door to the townhouse opened and Ryder stuck his head out. He looked at her in surprise before standing up straight, holding the door open with his hand. "Hey," he greeted her. Then he lowered his gaze onto Brady and h smiled a little. "Hey buddy, how's it going?"

"Okay." Brady shrugged and leaned over to look into the house.

Of course that was as bit of a lie. Things weren't really 'okay' when they had to pretend their days were normal when trying to find someone who may or may not be trying to kill them.

"Can we come in?" Cadence asked. "I know its short notice but I was hoping that we could talk." She ran a hand through her hair. Ryder nodded and stepped back, still holding the door open so that Brady and Cadence could go inside. Brady stood just inside the doorway as Cadence looked around, nodding in approval. "This is a pretty nice place."

"I reckon so, it's close to the construction sites we're working on and there're a lot of stores and things nearby," Ryder said with a deep country drawl.

A smile came to Cadence's lips as she gave him a funny look. "Where'd that come from? Last time we talked it wasn't there."

Ryder's eyebrows came together. "That's because I was using my 'professional voice'." He used air-quote around the words. "When I'm around co-workers or people I don't know well I speak properly."

"I guess it's hard to take the Smallville country boy out of you."

Ryder laughed and nodded. Then the turned back to Brady who was quietly looking back and forth between his parents. "Do you mind if I talk to your mother for a while? I've got a video game system set up in the den if you want to play." He laughed as Brady perked up and immediately raced over to the living room, immediately plopping himself down in front of it.

Ryder motioned for Cadence to sit at the dining room table. And for the first few minutes they were silent. As a matter of fact it was probably the longest she hadn't said anything. There were a lot of emotion she needed to work through and so many of them were fighting their way to the surface. At the moment she was stuck between apologetic and angry.

"This is probably the longest I haven't heard you talk," Ryder pointed out. "Which is a surprise, you always seem to have something to say."

Cadence gave him a look. "You always said it was cute when I talked a lot."

"No, Cade, I said _you_ were cute. Your constant talking? Not so much."

"At least I had something to say, I never talked just to hear myself talk."

"True."

Cadence smiled and looked away from Ryder for a minute. Then she took a deep breath and turned back to Ryder and looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry."

"About what?" He sat up in his seat and lowered the brim of his hat down onto his eyebrows, now slowly chewing his gum at the side of his mouth.

"About everything that happened. About blaming you for leaving and going off to school in California. I know it was your parents' idea, they're as insane as mine are, but I still blamed it on you because you were an easy target and I couldn't take responsibility."

Now Ryder leaned forward her, eyes flashing for a moment. "We dated for three years, why did you ever think that I'd want to leave you like that? Or Brady, I told you I wanted him, that I wanted to make things works, and I meant it."

"Then why didn't you tell your parents to back off?!" The question came out a lot harsher than she had intended.

There was a sudden whistling sound and as Cadence whipped her head around she saw Ryder racing over to a teapot that sat on the stove. "Sorry," she apologized. "I didn't think you had anything flammable out."

"I didn't think I still had water in there," Ryder muttered, opening the top and glancing inside. He scratched the back of his head. "Unless this is another thing with your powers."

Cadence nodded. That was a hard conversation to have, too. Explaining to him everything she and Brady could do with their abilities, everything Barry could do and how important it was he kept all of their secrets. That was one of the quiet conversation they had at one of Brad's recent soccer games. Other times their conversations revolved around slowly getting to know each other again along with giving him the chance to get to know Brady better.

Still, it was a question she needed to know the answer to. She had wanted to ask that ever since he had left, ever since her letters and emails were unreturned. No phone calls. No nothing. And her resentment grew and grew. " _They_ were the ones who sent you away and I _know_ you didn't want to go because you told me that. Why didn't you just tell them that you wanted to stay with me. With us?"

Ryder licked his lips and crossed his arms, leaning against the counter behind him. "Because I was afraid."

"And you think I wasn't? You freaking abandoned me, Ryder! You went off and have your normal life leaving the responsibility you had behind! People treated me like I had some sort of a disease and you were living your life scott free in California!" She slapped her hand onto the table, trying to stay as calm as possible despite the desperate need to raise her voice. To yell, to scream, to let him know just how hurt she really was. Unfortunately the risk of burning his house down in the process was far too great and it'd been terrible considering the same fate had befallen his bedroom years ago. "You went to school and got a career with little to no problems at all and I was struggling the whole time! Do you think I wanted to have only the choice of going back to Metropolis or working things on my own? I knew what was the best option for Brady but I doubted myself the whole time."

"I wasn't afraid of having a baby, Cade! Damn! I was afraid of everything else!" He pulled off his hat and ran a hand through his hair, eyes flashing. "What if we weren't able to stay together after he was born? What if we got married and later ended up getting divorced? What if we got married too young? Or waited too long and just fell into being comfortable. Not to mention finances…"

Cadence tilted her head back and ran her hands over her face. She scrubbed at her skin making sure not to press her fingernails into her skin. "That wouldn't be anything we could've avoided. You don't think money isn't something I worry about all the time?" She paused and lowered her chin. "I mean, before getting the job at the CCPD. But if it weren't for Detective West putting in a good word for me I probably wouldn't have that and I'd be…" she trailed off.

She knew exactly what she would be doing. There was no point in saying it out loud. There was still so much Ryder didn't know and she needed to explain when the time was right.

"I thought being able to go to a school that would give me a better chance of being able to start a career and make some money. But I had to work really hard there; they were really strict on rules over us and studies were _really_ important. Then I was going to pay for child support or whatever you needed." Now he started to pick at a loose thread of his sleeve. "Imagine my surprise when I called your place to tell you and your Mom and Dad said you had taken Brady and moved away."

"I didn't tell anyone where I was going. Not even my parents. I couldn't stand the ultimatum they gave me. Looking back at it now, I know I should've stayed and actually taken their help but…I was angry and I was self-centered…" Cadence took a deep breath and rested her cheek in her upraised palm. "Why didn't you tell me that my Mom had gotten in touch with when I was back in Metropolis?"

Ryder shrugged. "I didn't know you were there until I showed up. She didn't tell me that you were back in Metropolis."

Now Cadence's eyebrows furrowed. "Then what'd she call you over for?"

"She said she and your Dad were adding onto the house and wanted my opinion on things they wanted done. Apparently Mom and Dad gave her a glowing review of my talents."

He rolled his eyes and Cadence laughed. There was something about those within Metropolis—the upper class anyway—that tended to brag a bit more than they should. Her mother always said things were like a popularity contest and her father agreed wholeheartedly.

Cadence felt her heart sink as she thought about her father. Then it sank even further thinking about how much of her life was based on lies and things that weren't told to her. Even from some of her closest friends. It was starting to become exhausting despite the judgment she couldn't pass on them as she had been in the same predicament only months before.

 _I guess Mom really wanted to do something to help me for once,_ Cadence thought. _Having him around is much better for Brady._ She turned her gaze towards their son as he continued to sit in the living room, staring at the flashing TV screen. He was close enough for them to watch but not enough to hear their conversation.

"You know I hated you for a while," Cadence finally said.

"I know. I was mad at you for a while, too," Ryder agreed.

"But I don't think you were as mad as he was." She nodded over to Brady then twisted back in her seat to look at Ryder. "There's something he really wants to ask you. You already told me your answer but he needs to hear it from you."

Now Ryder managed a wry smile, one that Cadence realized was the splitting image of their son. "What else could he ask me? He's already gone from my favorite color to my favorite number to my favorite food. To whether or not I have a girlfriend. To what I think about you dating."

"I figured he would've told you about that."

Ryder laughed and rubbed is eyebrows. "Actually, it was more like wondering whether or not we'd get back together. That's what I got out of it anyway."

"Yeah, he has a tendency to go right for the hard hitting questions." That reminded her of Ryder, too. He always had a way of managing to cram one hundred feet in his mouth at once. "I mean, I love you, Ry. And I'm probably always going to but we're completely different people than we used to be. I think he just wanted to know for sure."

"Yeah, he likes Barry a lot."

Running a hand through her hair, Cadence studied Ryder closely. Studied the face she had known for so long, and was relieved to find that he didn't appear annoyed at all. "Ah, he told you about Barry?"

"And about Cisco and Caitlin. But mostly about Barry. Like I said, he likes the guy a lot." He removed his hat to scratch his head once more. "I like him too, actually. He's a cool guy."

"I think so," Cadence agreed. She cleared her throat. "So what about you? Any girlfriends?"

Ryder blushed, which was almost unnoticeable under the shadow of his hat. "That's complicated, at the moment." He changed the subject as he walked into the living room and sat down next to Brady. "I heard you wanted to ask me something, buddy," he pointed out.

Brady paused his video game and looked over at Ryder seriously. "Did you want me?" He asked. Cadence watched Ryder's head jerk back in surprise. "Mom says you did but…you've been gone for a long time. Was it something I did? Or was it me…?"

Now Ryder lowered his head into his hands. Brady leaned forward and lifted his hat so that he could look Ryder in the eye. "Brady, I always wanted you. Do you think your mother would've given your middle name after mine if I didn't want you? My parents sent me away before I could figure out what to do for a job and everything." He held up his hands. "I thought about you all the time. I felt like a jerk for everything that happened but you should _never_ think I didn't want you."

Brady looked hard at him.

"As a matter of fact, you know my guest room upstairs? I was thinking of changing that into a room specifically for you." He turned back to Cadence. "If that's alright."

"That's fine," she replied, a little amazed. He really _had_ put a lot of thought into Brady. She started to say something else but stopped when her phone suddenly started to blow up. Her phone rapidly shook in her hand as she pulled it out to look. The first thing she noticed was that the text was given to her and Barry, the second was the urgency of the text.

 **Cait: SOS, Gorilla Grodd in the City. Get here, now!**

Cadence quickly texted back: **On our way now.**

Brady seemed to have noticed the change in her demeanor because he turned towards her before immediately getting to his feet. "What's wrong? Is it the Reverse-Flash?"

"The Reverse-Flash?" Ryder repeated, getting to his feet as well.

"Long story," Cadence said shortly "It's Grodd. He's in the city. We have to go now."

"Grodd?" Ryder repeated.

"Gorilla Grodd," Brady confirmed.

Ryder blinked for a second then shook his head. "Wait, are you talking about that Central City urban legend thing?" When Cadence and Brady nodded he suddenly turned very serious. "I don't know what I can do to help, but I'm going with you."

"No, Ry, you need to stay here."

"If this gorilla is real then I have to go. Two of the men from the company I work for disappeared ages ago when they were inspecting the sewers." He glanced at Brady as his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and he brought a hand up to cover his mouth. "And I'd like to know if Grodd had something to do with it. And, again, I might be able to help."

Cadence shook her head then placed her hands against the sides of her head. If Grodd was around that meant Harrison was probably around as well, who else would've gotten him out of the sewers and up into the streets of Central City. Tears threatened to come to her eyes and she breathed hard, forcing herself to keep calm. There wasn't enough time to argue and she knew Grodd could do a lot of damage in a short amount of time.

.

..

...

Iris looked up as Eddie looked at his phone as it buzzed. He stood up so fast his chair fell over and knocked to the ground. "Are you serious?" Iris closed her book and started to ask Eddie what was wrong but he quickly raced over to the couch and leapt over it in a long jump. He jabbed the ON button and swept up the remote from the coffee table into his hand in a matter of seconds.

The channels flew by as he frantically searched through them then stopped when he found it. Iris stood up next to Eddie and watched, her jaw dropping when she got the good look at the television screen. What looked like a massive gorilla was storming through the streets. According to the newscaster the gorilla hadn't damaged anything yet, but it was moving in an obvious direction; towards STAR Labs. Behind the gorilla she could see a humanlike figure strolling along, an assault rifle cradled in his arms, standing out against his camouflage fatigues.

"Yeah, yeah that's him," Eddie was saying, breaking Iris out of her thoughts. "That's General Eiling alright."

"General Eiling?" Iris repeated. "Who's General Eiling? What does he have to do with any of this?" Eddie ignored her and Iris turned her attention back to the TV. Her eyes shifted to the corner of the screen where there was a sudden yellow streak of light. Her heart leapt into her throat as the streak stopped and revealed itself to be the Flash seconds before Flare teleported at his side.

The camera angle changed, shaking frantically back and forth. Whoever was corresponding on the ground was obviously trying to get a good view of the action that was going on, ignoring the warnings of the newscaster for civilians to get to safety.

The camera then panned onto General Eiling as he came to a stop, with Grodd stopping behind him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Eddie pacing back and forth, bringing his hand up to his hair. Then he slowly slid down until he sat, staring at the TV. Iris sat down next to him, resting her hands between her knees. She tried breathing through her nose to keep from freaking out.

This was the biggest thing to ever happen to Central City and they were seeing it all live. If she could get something written down it'd be the best article she'd ever worked on. As if reading her thoughts, her cell phone started to buzz on the table in front of her, the loud sound causing the two to jump. Eddie was so startled his hand quickly shifted towards his side where his gun would've been if he had his belt on.

Iris looked at him for a minute then picked up her phone. She saw Lois's name along the front of the screen and quickly answered. "Hey Lois," She said.

"Hey nothing, do you see what's going on out there?" Lois demanded. Iris could hear what sounded like a whirring sound in the background followed by a loud screeching sound. "Why don't you watch where you're going!" she shouted then turned her attention back to Iris. "This is a once in a lifetime journalistic opportunity. Where are you?"

"I'm in my apartment," Iris replied.

"Well, get your ass out of your apartment and get down here! You're missing everything! There's a story To go after. And I don't mean all of that Flash stuff that you normally spout off to your followers and the guy that signs your checks. I mean the biggest story that you could ever imagine. It's time for you to find it! I'm already on my way to the scene. I can meet you there."

"They want us to stay…" Iris trailed off. Lois was right. This was the story she had been hoping for, something that was other than just knowing what The Flash was doing. This was determining what it was that General Eiling had to do with the whole thing and what the rampaging gorilla wanted…and the Flash could be in there as well. "I'll meet you down there. I'm getting into my car right now." She hung up her phone and leapt off the couch, heading towards the table by the door to retrieve her keys.

"Could you hold on a—, wait a min—…Iris!" Eddie's panicked voice made her turn as she was grabbing onto her keys. She held them tightly in her hand, pushing the jagged teeth into her palm. "Iris, where are you going?"

"I have to get out there," Iris explained, backing towards the door. "I have to know what's going on."

Eddie stood up and motioned towards the TV. "You can stay here and do that. They're giving as much information as they can."

"No. No, I'm a reporter; I need to be down there."

Eddie glanced at his cell phone then at the TV as it turned back to a picture of The Flash and Flare as they stood in front of General Eiling, waiting to see who was going to move first. It was then she noticed Eddie turn pale and stared to sweat all the same. She recognized the look immediately; it was the same look he would give her father when Joe would, in no uncertain terms, let him know he didn't particularly like him dating his daughter. As if he were caught doing something he shouldn't be doing.

Iris continued to stare at him and Eddie continued to look at her…except for the few seconds his eyes would move to the TV.

"What?" she demanded.

"Nothing," Eddie replied just as soon as the word left her mouth.

"What's going on, Eddie? I know you know _something._ And that's my Dad on the phone isn't it? Or Captain Singh? You're supposed to be going down there or something and there's something about this that you're not telling me."

Eddie took a deep breath, placing his hands on his hips. "I'm a Detective, Iris, there are plenty of things that I can't tell you."

"But you've been acting like this for weeks. You've become…different. Distant. You don't talk to me like you used to."

Over the past few weeks Iris felt herself starting to consistently question everything he was doing. Wondering why his calls would take longer than usual, why he would take his phone calls in a different room and act like nothing had happened when he came back. Why whenever she would ask about the cases he worked on he would clam up and only say a few words here or there. The same way her Dad and Barry would; having become incredibly secretive as more and more time passed.

"Iris, we talk all the time," Eddie insisted. "We talk about everything."

"Obviously not. Or you wouldn't be trying so hard to keep me out of the loop!" Iris grabbed her coat of the back of a nearby chair and shrugged into it. "I have a job to do and you're not going to stop me!" She turned towards the door and had it open as Eddie called her name once more. "What?!" She snapped, turning to face him.

She found him gathering his things together as well. "I just got called down. Your father and I, they need our help to keep this… _thing_ detained until we get some more heavy hitters to come in." He pulled on his jacket. "I can give you a ride down there."

"Really?"

"Only because I know if I don't take you down there you'll find your own way and then I'll worry about you the whole time. But you need to _promise_ that you'll stick by me."

Iris nodded back.

On the way down the to the scene Iris ran her hands over each other as she sat glued to the radio, listening for every tidbit of information they could get. Her fingers moved over her phone, typing as quickly as possible. Finally, they came upon a police blockade and Eddie quickly climbed out of the car, taking the bulletproof vest her father handed towards him. She waited until they were deep in conversation, loading up their guns and coming up with a plan, before quietly opening the passenger door to the car.

Carefully, Iris eased the door shut behind her before taking off down a side street to meet up with Lois, where the two planned to meet up through text on their way there. Lois was pacing back and forth in front of an empty office building as Iris approached.

"Finally!" Lois grabbed onto her arm and pulled her down another series of streets. Hiding in the shadows. Iris pulled out her cell phone and started to take as many pictures as she could. "Check it out!"

Iris lowered her phone just as General Eiling took a step forward. He seemed to have broken out of the trance he had been in, staring straight at the Flash and Flare. Finally, he cleared his throat and lowered his assault rifle. "Get out of the way."

"What are you doing, Eiling?" The Flash demanded. "What are you doing to Central City?"

"Central City terrible place," General Eiling replied. "Central City place where I tortured. Central City not help me. I not help Central City." Iris's eyebrows came together as she watched General Eiling. He slowly lifted his rifle and pointed it towards The Flash and Flare. All of a sudden his arms lowered back to his sides and he swayed on the spot before pitching forward.

There was a sudden gust of wind and General Eiling was moved out from in front of the gorilla to the side of the road. Then when The Flash stood by Flare once more he took a few steps forward then suddenly stopped, grabbing the sides of their head.

The fight was on after that and Iris stood transfixed, watching the entire thing. Grodd The Flash and Flare continued to race back and forth across the street, showing off their strength and speed. Every time Grodd would roar, beat his chest, or lumber towards the metahumans the ground would shake, rattling every bone in Iris's body.

And yet, Iris continued to stand and watch with Lois. Not just because of her own journalistic integrity, not just because she was a cop's daughter and found being told to do something made her not want to do it that much more, but because of the real reason she was out there. To know everything there was to know about him and the other metahumans. To know what was truly going on with this specific fight.

It was a spectacular fight; no matter what the gorilla threw their way The Flash and Flare would come right back with an increased burst of speed or strength. Lightning bolts zipped back and forth across the street, smoke and flames rushed by, warming Iris's front despite the chill of the night. Grodd certainly wasn't giving up and continued to charge back and forth across the street, taking in punches and sending some back of his own, knocking them back and forth across the street and into nearby buildings.

Glass glittered over the street from the force of the impact, the sound of support beams bending under their weight. But as the fight went on they continued to shoot themselves back as quickly as they were knocked down. Every now and then Grodd would do something to them that would make them stop and slap their hands to the sides of their heads before falling to their knees then collapse to the ground. Once incapacitated Grodd would then grab onto one or the other or both or fling them around once more.

And Iris continued to watch along with the rest of Central City, her heart crashing against her ribcage and body wired up with extreme excitement. _If no one else sees what The Flash is doing to help this city…then they don't know what a hero is_ , Iris thought.

Then there was an incredible flurry of movement that was hard for her to keep her eyes on. Lightning flew back and forth along with bright blasts and flashes of red fire. Then the gorilla was gone and the street was empty. Iris was as amazed as ever and turned to go away but another streak of yellow lightning caught her eye.

"Wait, Iris, look!" Lois grabbed her arm and turned her back to the street.

Iris watched as The Flash looked around the empty city streets. And despite his back turned towards her Iris could see his shoulders droop in disappointment before bringing his hand up to rub the back of his neck. It was a move that could've been a way to ease stretch, to rub out the knots that worked their way into the muscle. But for Iris, whose lower jaw dropped at the sudden, familiar movement, it was more than just a way to relieve stress.

It was the habit of the guy she knew to be her best friend.

"I knew it," Iris breathed, staring at Barry's form second before it disappeared. "You're the Flash."

.

..

...

Barry tugged his hood off his head the second he stepped into the Cortex right behind Cadence. Cisco, Caitlin, Brady, Ryder, Professor Stein, and Ronnie all started to speak at once, and Barry tuned them out. His ears were ringing, his head throbbing, he had been thrown around so many times; hit so many things he was surprised nothing had broken. That was definitely a testament to his speed healing but at the same time he wasn't sure if Grodd was really trying to kill him.

It was more like…a caged animal that was afraid. An animal that just wanted to get somewhere safe and was attacking back only because it was _being_ attacked. But then why use General Eiling in the first place and how did he know where to _find_ Eiling? And why was he only attacking _now?_

"Barry."

Jumping as a hand gently laid on his arm, Barry turned to face Caitlin. She gave him a soft smile of apology. "You and Cadence need to be checked out. Just to make sure that everything's okay."

"I'm fine, Caitlin. Grodd didn't do as much damage as I thought…" Barry ran his hands through his hair. "I just don't understand why he got out of the sewers this time if he's been there just fine the last few times we were down there." He shuddered, remembering what it had been like when he had been taken down there to fight the Reverse-Flash. It was damp, dark, and there had been a consistent chill that made him shiver violently.

"You saw that General Eiling was there, dude," Cisco pointed out. "Obviously he has something to do with it."

"Or else Grodd wanted some fresh air," Cadence pointed out with a slight tone of sarcasm in her voice. "I mean, living under the streets for so long will probably do that to you."

"No, you're not listening to me! When I was down there, fighting with Dr. Wel—"Barry's vice caught in his throat and he turned away. "I mean the Reverse-Flash, General Eiling was just sitting in the corner of the room as if he wasn't all _there_ and now Grodd was using him as a pawn. I don't think it's a coincidence that he was here this time, too."

"So you think that General Eiling brought him out into the city on purpose?" Cadence asked. She thought for a moment, exchanging a glance with Caitlin and Cisco. "Why?"

"As a distraction."

The group turned around as Tess Morgan ran into the Cortex as fast as her injured leg would take her. Cisco looked at her for a minute before bringing his hands up to rest atop his head. "Man, I _really_ need to figure out this whole security thing."

"I believe the rest of us could've told you that," Professor Stein remarked with a raised eyebrow. Though he didn't appear as scared and wary as the others.

Cadence's eyes widened as she watched Tess but otherwise didn't say anything.

Tess ignored Cisco's and Professor Stein's comments and turned to Barry and Cadence. "If I know my husband the way I think I do he's got something up his sleeve. A failsafe plan just in case things don't originally work out. It's how he's always operated." She rested her hands on her stomach, her eyes glancing downward for a moment.

"If you know what he's doing then maybe you can help us," Caitlin pleaded. If she was phased by Tess's appearance she didn't show it. Caitlin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and took a step towards her. "Please, do you know what he's planning on doing? What he wants? You could really help us Dr. Morgan."

Tess lowered her hands and shook her head. "No. I don't know specifically what he's doing. But, like I said, Harrison is the kind of person that deflects your attention away from one thing so he can do another. Much like when the Particle Accelerator went off in the first place."

"That's right. He knew it was going to blow, that something like the explosion was going to happen but continued to bring up hype around it so no one would notice," Cisco said. He clenched his hands into fists, and gritted his teeth as well. "Curse Hartley for being right!"

Cadence finally found her voice and asked, "Do you know where he is now?"

Before she could answer an alarm started to go off and Cisco raced to his computer to check the screen. He brought a hand to his mouth and shook his head. "He's down in the pipeline!" He shook his head then slammed both of his open hands to the counter top. "He's releasing all of the metas!"

"He's here." Tess looked dismayed as if she couldn't warn them fast enough. "We have to get out of here _now_!"

"Wait, how did you know we were here?" Ryder asked.

There was a streak of red lightning that encircled the room twice before it stopped as Harrison smiled towards them. His eyes were trained solely on Tess. Barry glanced at her. She stared back at Harrison, unblinking.

His smile widened. "I should've given you more credit, Tess. To know that you would figure out your husband's way of thinking through mine. I guess my hold over him wasn't as strong as I thought it was. Or maybe your bond with him is even stronger. I guess we'll see. Having to split my time and memories between Eobard and Harrison can be difficult sometimes."

"Why are you releasing the metahumans from the pipeline?" Barry demanded. "You know as well as the rest of us what they can do to this city."

"As far as I'm concerned this city means nothing to me anymore. It hasn't mean anything to me in a while, too much of my life has been away from me here in Central City. Mostly because of you, Barry Allen. And now I'm going to go home."

"You ordered Grodd to come after us didn't you?" Barry demanded. "You wanted to distract us."

Harrison laughed a sinister laugh that started out as a wheeze. "You're every bit as smart as you've consistently proven, Mr. Allen." Then his smile immediately disappeared. "But the fact of the matter is I don't need to distract you anymore. Because I know how to beat you and I know how to get home with your help."

"No." Barry shook his head. "You're going to pay for what you did to my mother."

Harrison slowly cocked his head to the side. His eyes shifted and he brought his hands up to rest on his head. "Then I guess this is going to end in another fight. Are you prepared to lose?"

Again Barry shook his head. "No. Because this time _you're_ going to lose. You've taken my mother from me, you taken my father from me; you've taken the happy life I could've had. And this time you're not going to take any more of it."

Harrison turned on his heel and raced out of the Cortex and Barry was right behind him. The two stopped outside and stood apart from each other, sizing each one up. Cadence appeared by his side, pulling her goggles down over her eyes, staring Harrison directly in the eye as she did so.

For a minute it appeared that Harrison was surprised, maybe even saddened, then he stood himself up once more. "Why not open the rest of your little bag of tricks and show me what you've got? This one is getting old." His eyes shifted as Firestorm flew in and landed next to the two. Then there was a loud whistling sound and Oliver landed on the ground next to them, having zip-lined down an arrow embedded in a nearby building.

"Sorry I'm late," Oliver apologized, voice deepened with his voice modulator. "I had some trouble with the league that I needed to attend to." He nodded to Barry and Barry nodded back at him, feeling himself smile.

He turned back to Harrison, who still appeared less than impressed, before his gaze was shifted skyward as a shadow passed over the moon. Barry tilted his head back and looked around to follow the shadow. His eyebrows rose as the figure drifted to the ground, his cape trailing behind him.

"Took you long enough," Cadence remarked.

Superman smiled back, the corner of his mouth turning up. "Sorry, I needed to speak to a friend. And I got lost on the way." He turned to Barry and nodded as well.

Barry found himself nodding back and was glad that he wasn't freaking out or fangirling as much as he thought when seeing Superman for the first time. With renewed vigor, he turned back to Harrison, who glared at the superheroes in front of him.

Now he looked scared.

* * *

 **A/N:** So let me know if any of this chapter was confusing. It's the first time that I had a chapter where the action was shown from someone else's POV instead of being directly within it. It might've been a bit lackluster but I think having it from Iris' POV was interesting because of what she's currently going through and of the admiration she has (or had) for The Flash.

And now Tess revealed herself to everyone and Harrison (or Eobard I guess) revealed himself to everyone as well. With only 10 chapters left (as I currently have it planned, there may be less than that) there's plenty to come. And then _Fuel to the Fire_ will be uploaded as well.

 **-Riles**


	41. Tethered

**.:41:.**

 _Tethered_

* * *

"We need to get out of here now," Tess repeated.

"No, we have to get the metas first," Cisco replied. He ran his hands through his hair. "If the metas get out into the city they'll create more havoc than we've ever seen. Not to mention these guys have to be a wee bit angry we put them in here like this. They'll probably create even more havoc."

"Well, do you have anything that'll get them back in there?" Ryder asked.

"Not especially, there are some things I've been working on, but nothing so good. Getting them into the pipeline is easy when they're knocked out and that's typically how Barry got them here. But we don't have the time to worry about that." Cisco moved back and forth from one monitor to another, watching to see how many of the metahumans had been let go.

Deadshot, Rainbow Raider, Weather Wizard, Peek-a-Boo…

He turned around once more and snapped his fingers. "Actually, I do have something." He went to his desk and opened the bottom drawer. He dug through a few things inside and emerged with a slingshot and a few pellets, shifting his attention to Brady. "You left your slingshot here last time and I took the liberty of tinkering it a little bit. Considering your metahuman name I call this the 'Shadow Shot'. Not only is it set to make sure that you never miss your target but with these pellets you can do a bunch of different things." Cisco held one up between his fingers, twisting it back and forth. "Depending on the ones you use, when they connect with the ground—or the person or thing you're aiming for—they do different things like shoot out jets of water and bursts of flame."

"Cool," Brady said, taking the slingshot and weapons. "Thanks, Cisco."

"If there's going to be a time to try out some other things we put in STAR Labs as a failsafe, we should test it out now," Caitlin remarked.

"Someone will have to do something fast, these metas are taking as much advantage of their early release as possible," Tess said, standing at Harrison's computer. Her fingers flew over the keys and on the monitor across the Cortex a map of the lower levels of STAR Labs popped up. "They're making their way to the lower level exits but are moving in random directions, much like caged animals would behave when set free."

"Do you have a lot of experience in that area?" Ryder asked.

"Behavioral sciences. As well as communication studies in terms of body language and non-verbal communications," Tess explained. "I'd love to have this conversation with you but we have a more pressing matter to get through." She shook her head. "Harrison, you're not as smart as you pride yourself to be," she muttered under her breath.

Caitlin and Cisco nodded before taking off into the deeper part of the Cortex. As Cisco ran down a path that branched off to the right, Caitlin came to the left. Ahead of her she could hear rapid footsteps clacking against the marble of the floors. Caitlin ran along after them as fast as she could, cursing the fact that she insisted on wearing high heels every day to work. Especially when most of their days, as of late, were spent running around after some sort of a catastrophe or another.

Caitlin skidded around a corner and came face to face with Peek-a-Boo aka Shawna Baez. That was a metahuman that had been taken down fairly easily, especially after the others found that the weakness in her teleporting abilities. The way she glared at Caitlin when she came around the corner let the Bio-engineer know she was still angry over her capture and imprisonment. Caitlin always thought the way they put the metas in the Pipeline wasn't a great idea, but there hadn't really been a choice.

Those thoughts barely managed to cross Caitlin's mind before she was struck across the face with a hard punch. Caitlin fell to the ground and looked up just in time to find Shawna bring back her foot to kick her in the ribs. A cry of pain escaped Caitlin's lips as she was flung onto her back. Shawna didn't waste any time. She teleported next to Caitlin and grabbed her by the front of her shirt, lifting her off the ground and slamming her against the wall behind her. Then she bent back and pressed her boot covered foot against Caitlin's throat.

Caitlin squeezed her eyes shut and brought her hands up to the boot, hoping to push it away, but found that while flexible enough to stay in a standing split; Shawna was as strong as ever. A grotesque glare twisted Shawna's features, giving her an almost darkly comical expression. She was certainly reveling in Caitlin's pain.

"Do you know what it's like to be stuck in that box? Do you know what it's like to be stuck in a prison?" Spittle bubbled up at Shawna's lips as he hissed at Caitlin. A droplet landed on Caitlin's cheek and she resisted the urge to wipe it away. "All because you're _different_ all because you have powers that other people don't? Do you know how… _sick_ that is?"

Caitlin struggled to bring in a breath, finding that she was pressing her foot against her neck harder and harder as the seconds passed. Shawna reached out and grabbed onto Caitlin's hair, pulling her head forward. This time Caitlin's strangled cry was weaker. The edges of her vision began to darken.

"So let's see what sort of a box your family decides to put you in," Shawna whispered. She tightened her grip into Caitlin's hair and Caitlin could feel some of the strands start to pull out. "For your funeral." From where she stood, Caitlin could see the muscles in Shawna's arm steel as she moved to slam Caitlin's head back against the wall.

Then there was the sound of a low, metallic _thunk_ and Shawna's eyes rolled up before she slumped to the ground. Caitlin gasped loudly as soon as Shawna's foot was released from her neck. She stared, eyes widening, at Iris, who dropped a metal pipe to the ground, chest heaving with the effort of her swing and adrenaline.

Caitlin opened and closed her mouth to say something, anything, to thank Iris for saving her. To wonder how she knew to go to STAR Labs. She knew not to ask. Judging by the expression on Iris's face, one of understanding and hurt let Caitlin know she knew everything. That she knew Barry was the Flash and there was no way to hide anything from her anymore. Caitlin felt a sense of guilt, despite being the one that insisted Barry tell her shortly after he had received his powers.

Iris took a step forward then stopped, her eyes shifted to the side. Caitlin turned and followed her gaze and found Rainbow Raider standing at the entrance where she had just come from. He smirked, tilting his head to the side, eyes slowly starting to turn red. Caitlin continued to stand rooted in place, staring at him. Her eyes slowly started to turn a red color. Then there was a sudden explosion in front of Rainbow Raider, setting off a shower of sparks that caused Rainbow Raider to shield his face and back away.

Then there was another explosion and smoke appeared, wafting around Rainbow Raider's feet. As the smoke continued to climb higher, Rainbow Raider suddenly twisted back and forth before he was forcibly knocked into the wall beside him at such speeds that it knocked him out. Then there was a clanging sound as the metal pipe hit the ground and rolled away before Brady hurried over to the two.

Caitlin glanced at Iris out of the corner of her eye, whose eyebrows now rose in surprise. Brady, on the other hand, stopped in his tracks and looked back at Iris. Then he turned to Caitlin, his eyebrows lowering and lips coming up into a pout as if he had just been accused of doing something he hadn't done.

"Are you okay?" He finally asked.

"Yes, thanks to Iris," Caitlin said. She turned to her and gave her a smile. "Thank you so much."

"How did she…? What did she…?" Iris closed her eyes for a moment then shook her head. "Are there any others out here?"

"Cisco and Ryder are working on capturing them," Brady reported.

"Ryder?" Iris repeated.

"My dad."

"Oh."

Caitlin chewed her lower lip as Iris tried to process everything that was being said to her. Or tried to process what she had already figured out. There was a steely air of determination around her. With a low rumbling that managed to shake the passage way, they turned their attention back to the Cortex to check on the status of the metahumans. As they went Caitlin had to consistently shake her head, as if trying to get a fog out of her brain. Her head was even more clouded than usual.

"Caitlin!" All of a sudden Cisco was in front of her, holding tightly onto her shoulders. He peered into her face. "Caitlin, are you okay?"

She blinked and shook her head. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She looked over and saw Eddie and Joe behind him. "Eddie, Detective West, what are you…?"

"You have metahumans and a large gorilla running over the city and you don't expect it to be checked out?" Joe asked. Then his gaze landed on Iris and he took a step back. "Iris—"

"Hi Dad," Iris said coolly. "Eddie."

Eddie swallowed hard but didn't respond.

"Did you get all the metas?" Brady asked. Almost as if he didn't notice the tension mounting around them. Caitlin would've laughed if the situation wasn't so bad.

"Not all of them," Tess explained. "Some of them managed to escape STAR Labs and now they're heading around the city. But that's not the part that's worrying me. This is." She pressed a few buttons on the keyboard and the view on the large screen changed to video footage of the nearby streets with Harrison and the superheroes standing off with one another.

"Is that Harrison Wells?" Iris asked. "He's the Reverse-Flash and…and killed Barry's mother?"

"It's taken us a long time to prove it but yes," Joe said.

"How is that possible? Why would he want to do that? What did Mrs. Allen do that he would want to kill her for it?"

"It's a long story, baby. But right now we have to figure out a way to capture Wells and get him back here so we can get those answers."

"If he's managed to keep out of our grasp that long, he can move pretty fast," Tess commented. "Obviously a lot faster than Barry can or else he wouldn't struggle so much when racing him. There must be something he's up to if he's entertaining a fight between all of these guys."

Caitlin bit her lower lip as she watched the video feed. The two sides seemed to be conversing about something. It couldn't have been much longer until they started fighting. Anxiety rolled through her stomach. She hoped they could get him in this time…hopefully with minimal damage.

There were some things she wanted to ask Harrison, herself.

Beside her, she noticed Ryder lean over to whisper to Brady. "Do you still have that ATV I got you for your birthday?" Ryder asked.

Brady nodded. "We didn't have any place for it at home so we had to bring it here."

"Good. Come on."

* * *

"So was it part of your plan to set those metahumans free?" Barry demanded. He tightened his hands into fists.

Harrison's eyebrows rose. "Actually, that was the last shred of humanity that the other guy managed to show. I have no idea how he does it but Harrison always seems to come forward at the worst times for me. I guess he couldn't stand the thought of those guys dying."

"You've hurt enough people as it is," Barry said.

"I know. You see me as the villain. But Barry if you were to look back, carefully, everything I've done….you'd realize I've only done what I've had to do. Nothing more. Nothing less."

"And the Particle Accelerator?" Cadence asked. She tilted her head to the side, eyeing him carefully. "What do you need that for?"

Harrison shifted his eyes over to her. He looked at her for a long moment, long enough that Barry held his arm out in front of her in case he started to attack. "This must be especially hard for you," he commented. "I wonder how much of your self-restraint you're using just to keep calm. We all know what happens when you use your powers too much. I guess you won't thank me for saving you the last time."

"Answer the question!" Oliver growled.

"Why don't you let me show you?" Harrison asked. He held up his left hand, where a yellow ring started to glow. All at once the ring opened up and the Reverse-Flash suit popped out. With his speed, Harrison ran into the suit and continued his forward momentum towards Barry.

Barry, eyes flashing with lightning, raced towards him as well.

He and Harrison became locked in battle, spinning in quickly circles as red and yellow lightning turned a warm orange color in their tornado. Superman flew high into the air, Ronnie/Professor Stein summoned fire around their hands, and Oliver drew back his bow and Cadence teleported to the far side of the street in case Harrison tried to get away.

Oliver growled in frustration. He turned his arrow tip this way and that, trying to find a clear shot t take down Harrison. Barry continuously moved into his line of sight. "Move, Barry!" He snapped. But the orange tornado continued to swirl around. "Barry, move!"

Finally, Harrison grabbed Barry by the throat and shoved him against a nearby wall. His head smacked against the brick and stars exploded in front of Barry's eyes. Then Harrison threw him across the street, where he crashed into a light pole so hard it bent in half. With Barry out of the way, Oliver took the opportunity to shoot and arrow into Harrison's calf, causing him to cry out in pain, twisting around.

Cadence and Ronnie/Professor Stein sent attacks of fire towards him from the ground and from the air. The fire attacks combined into a large scale fire bomb that careened towards Harrison. He turned and started to whip his arms around, sending a blast of air back towards them, immediately snuffing their flames. Cadence gasped, choking for air as he continued to send heavy winds towards them. The force of the back drafts sent Ronnie/Professor Stein flying backwards, out of his sight.

Superman followed it with a blast of heat vision that struck Harrison in the arm. He cried out in pain and twisted around, grasping the arm of his suit as it smoked. Then he turned to run away but found that he couldn't take more than a few steps. Growling, Harrison ripped the arrow out of his leg and crushed it in his grasp.

"Nanites courtesy of Ray Palmer before he returned to Starling City. Sending out a high frequency pulse that's disabling your speed. You're not going to be running around for a while," Oliver said.

Harrison let out a short chuckle, eyes slowly returning from its angry red to a clear blue. "You don't need speed to be a formidable fighter," he said. "I'm sure you know all about that." With that he raced forward and struck Oliver hard in the chest. Oliver crashed into the brick wall behind him and lay on the ground, groaning in pain.

Harrison then turned around in time for Superman to race up to him with almost the same amount of speed Harrison could show. Superman grabbed Harrison and threw him up into the air, following behind with a sudden burst of flight. Harrison flailed through the air and Superman sucked in a deep breath, blowing out ice breath that froze his lower half. Then Superman grasped Harrison and held him tightly in his hands. Harrison squirmed, grunting in pain as Superman increased the pressure on his body.

"Give up now and things won't get harder for you," Superman declared. "All we want is for you to stand down."

"I don't believe making it easy for you will be as fun," Harrison said. They glided to a stop, hovering in the air by Superman's own abilities. "Don't you think?" He vibrated rapidly and the ice started to break apart, falling down towards the ground.

"Wha…?" Superman struggled to keep his grasp on Harrison as he continued to phase.

Harrison reached up and solidified his hand, punching Superman in the face, causing him to lose his grip. Harrison fell back towards the ground, spinning a few times before he regained his balance and ran down the face of a building. Superman landed on the ground with enough force it created a crater. He slowly stood up from his kneeling position and turned his attention on the car next t him. Then he glanced at the dire hydrant nearby.

Lips pulling back, Superman used his heat vision to blast the fire hydrant out of the ground. It twisted and turned in the air, heading towards Harrison. Harrison moved out of the way of the projectile object just as a shower of water rained over him. Superman then used his freeze breath to solidify him once more. Then he turned and picked up the car next to him, as easily as a pack of gum, and threw it towards Harrison.

Cadence teleported to Superman's side and thrust her fist forward, encompassing the car with flames. The gas tank exploded as it fell forward, sending a blast of heat throughout the street. It crashed into the block of ice that encompassed Harrison and sent a shower of metal pieces flying across the street. Superman kneeled next to Cadence, throwing up his arm. Pulling his cape with him he blocked the two from the pieces that flew their way.

Once the coast was clear they turned back to find Harrison wasn't in the place he had just been. Then there was a flash of red and Cadence found herself run backwards into a car behind her. The shock of pain paralyzed her for a second and she looked up to find Harrison holding onto her throat, eyes glowing angrily. Grass crunched into her back and shoulders, making her wince with every breath she took, shifting the glass further and further into her body against the pressure Harrison exuded on her.

"I may have been taken over by Harrison before, but it's not going to happen again," he hissed. He tightened his hand around her neck. "Though it's interesting to see how much his will power has kept me from being able to take you down." He tilted his head o the side. "Such a shame that your son won't be able to say goodbye. But they're always very hard."

Cadence's eyes shifted towards him before she teleported out of his grasp. Harrison stumbled forward against the car and turned around, crouching. Cadence fought hard against Harrison, fists and feet flaming. Harrison blocked each one of her punches and kicks with ease, dodged out of the way of her heat vision, and blew away the smokescreen she turned his way. Cadence backed up a few paces and held her hands out towards him.

Harrison started towards her once more then stopped, screaming in pain. He fell to his knees and grabbed onto his arms and legs as Cadence burned his blood. His body jerked around, skin turning a bright pink as he continued to burn from the inside.

With a strangled cry, Cadence lowered her hand, halting her attacking. She looked down at Harrison, watching as his skin color slowly returned normal. Harrison looked up at her, eyebrows lowering, features twisting into an expression of sorrow.

"You're not going to hurt your poor father like this," Harrison wheezed. "After sticking by your side, helping you progress with your powers, making sure you understood how wanted you were." He reached his hand out towards her. "You can't turn your back on family."

Cadence took in a deep breath. The she held out her right hand and erupted a flame from it. The flame elongated into a sword. Cadence held it high over her head, locking her gaze onto Harrison's, her cheek twitching. "I know he's in there somewhere, but right now…I can't let Eobard Thawne hurt this city…my home, my friends, anymore."

She swung the fire sword down towards Harrison, following it up with a burst of fire that projected her towards him. Harrison blocked her fire sword but didn't move fast enough to keep from the second attack. He grabbed onto Cadence and the force of her attack threw the two onto the ground where he flung her aside with ease.

Harrison then got back to his feet in time to deal with Ronnie/Professor Stein. This was a harder attack for Harrison to avoid as Ronnie/Professor Stein had the ability of flight and could arch back and forth, twisting and turning through the air to send blasts of fire that Harrison struggled to avoid. After one particularly close call he started to windmill his arms once more. The blowback of wind combined with Ronnie/Professor Stein's jet propulsion froze the superhero in mid-air.

"I've spent a lot of time with that Tachyon device," Harrison commented. He continued to windmill his arms with ease. "And I know there are some drawbacks to it. I'm sure it's only a matter of time until your power starts to run out. Let's see how strong you are then.

Ronnie/Professor Stein continued to push back against the wind barrier, but as the seconds passed they started to falter. The fire behind them, what was pushing them forward, started to putter like an airplane straining to take off the runway. Finally, their arms slumped and they fell to the ground.

"Firestorm!" Cadence called.

Oliver raced forward to attack Harrison. He sent strong punches and strikes with his bow. While some missed, accompanied with loud whistling sounds, with Harrison proving he still had some sort of speed, others connected right into Harrison's face and stomach. However, with his healing powers, Harrison wasn't fazed by any of the hits and struck back against Oliver. Oliver finally managed to knock Harrison on his back and pointed an arrow directly at his throat.

But Harrison grabbed a metal pole beside him and swiftly brought it up. He smashed Oliver in the knee, halving him and then struck him across the face. Then he vibrated rapidly, eyes glowing red once more. With a burst of speed he shot up and grabbed onto Oliver, forcing him to the ground at a painful angle.

"The history books say you live to be 86 years old Mr. Queen. Well, I guess the history books are wrong." He brought a vibrating hand down towards Oliver's chest seconds before he was knocked aside by Barry.

Yellow and red streaks shot back and forth across the city streets as Barry and Harrison swirled around each other once more. Punches and kicks rained down against each other as they ran onto a rooftop of a nearby building. Each punch was quickly counter-struck, each kick doing the same. And yet they continued to land hard enough that it would send the other staggering about. Barry then raced forward and sent a barrage of punches quick as lightning into Harrison. Harrison sent a strong punch to Barry's stomach, halving him, and then punched him in the jaw. Barry flew off his feet and landed on the ground, the force of his momentum causing him to roll. He came to a stop at the edge of the roof and looked up in time to find Harrison leaping towards him once more.

Thinking quickly, Barry lifted his feet and struck Harrison in the stomach and lifted his feet up over his head. Harrison fell over the side of the roof and crashed onto the roof of the car parked on the street below. For a moment all was still before he slowly made it to his feet.

The sound of an engine revving filled the air, bouncing off the buildings around them. Ryder and Brady blasted through the street on an ATV with Ryder driving. Brady sat in front of him, holding out his slingshot, one eye closed as he aimed towards Harrison. As he let go, three pellets went flying through the air. One landed by the car and erupted in a smoke screen, another landed by his feet, sending out a shower of sparks, the last one struck Harrison in the chest and flames immediately surrounded his body.

Harrison jerked back and forth, trying to dampen the flames. But then there came a whistling sound accompanied by an arrow pierced the air. An arrow imbedded itself in Harrison's shoulder, another one to dampen his powers. That, combined with his weakened state from his free fall and hard landing exhausted Harrison. He pitched over onto the ground as the flames slowly died away.

Barry rolled onto his stomach, and, breathing heavily raced down to the street to look him over himself. Harrison's eyes stayed closed. Barry lifted a hand up to the Comm Link in his ear. "Cisco, Caitlin, we got him," he said.

" _Then get back to STAR Labs as soon as you can, there's a lot going on here,"_ Caitlin replied.

"You got it."

Barry lowered his hand from his Comm Link at the same time that Cadence raised her hand to hers. He watched in confusion, then his eyes widened and his stomach dropped as she said, "He's done, come get him."

Cadence lowered her hand from her ear just as the wind suddenly picked up. A tornado suddenly blew through the streets and when it dissipated Stratos stood in the middle of the street with Mindboggler and Incognito at his sides. She tilted her head towards Harrison. "Over there."

Barry's lower jaw dropped a little as Cadence me his gaze. Instead of guilt, even a tiny bit of anxiety in her eyes Barry saw nothing. His eyebrows came together in confusion and Cadence turned away. Barry then looked over at Superman, Oliver, and Ronnie/Firestorm; they appeared just as confused as Barry but didn't make a move either. The closer they got to Harrison; Oliver pulled back his bow, ready to shoot out an arrow.

"Good job Brigade," Stratos commented as Mindboggler and Incognito moved to take their prisoner. "I didn't think you'd actually do it this time. He must've put up a pretty strong fight if it took you this long."

Cadence didn't reply, she looked away from him, glaring at the ground.

Stratos' smug smile finally faded. "Incognito, you get the Reverse-Flash, Mindboggler; make sure these guys don't do anything stupid."

Barry started to move forward but found himself stopping in his tracks as his mother appeared in front of her. Not a normal projection of her, but a horribly blood and scarred version. The one he had seen lying on the floor of his house the night she had been murdered. Nora took a step towards her son, he hand outstretched, shaking, silently pleading for his help.

"Mom…" Barry whispered.

He closed his eyes, blinking hard. When he opened them again she was still there. Barry looked over at the rest of his friends and found they were rooted in place as well. Finally, Incognito reached Harrison and Barry snapped his eyes back over to Cadence, forcing himself to ignore his mother as she continued to walk towards him.

"Now!" He called.

Cadence closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again they started to turn a maroon color, shifting towards black. The air around her began to increase in temperature and there was a low rumbling sound from deep beneath the Earth. The ground started to rumble and roll, much like waves cresting towards the beach. Then it opened in front of her with an orange glow that illuminated the area and there was an explosion of hot air and molten rocks.

Ronnie/Professor Stein flew up into the air with Superman following them. Oliver turned and shot his arrow into a nearby building and used the retractable cord to get out of the way. Barry then took the opportunity amongst the confusion to start running in fast circles. Around and around and around he went, absorbing the heat from the flames as he whipped around and focusing it into his body.

Finally, he came to a stop and flung his arms forward. A large thunderbolt arched through the air and struck Incognito, Stratos, and Mindboggler all at once. As there lightning conducted through their bodies the powerful force of the attack combined with the heat in the air to create a brilliant lightning bolt that simultaneously struck them from the sky.

The smoke cleared and the four bodies lay strewn across the street.

Barry fell to his knees, trying to suck in as much air as he could. His chest constricted against his suit and he ripped off his mask to give himself a little more air. He struggled to get up but fell once more. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to find Cadence bending her head underneath his arm to keep him upright.

"It worked," Barry said.

Cadence nodded. "It did," She agreed.

"Thanks," Barry managed to say before pitching over out of sheer exhaustion.

* * *

A low humming sound filled Barry's ears as he slowly came to. Almost as if a loud sound had erupted around him or he had been at a concert too close to the monitors. Then when Barry opened his eyes he found he was partially blind. White light strobed around him as the seconds passed. He closed his eyes once more and when he opened them things slowly shifted into focus. He could hear the sound of a monitor beeping beside him and tried to turn his head to the side, then stopped, wincing.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Barry blinked, eyelashes fluttering, and then realized hands were resting on the sides of his face, holding him still. He lifted his chin to find Cadence sitting behind his bed, holding his head still. She gave a small smile when he looked at her. "If you move too fast I might jerk your head the wrong way and I don't know how well our powers will work to heal a broken neck."

A light chuckle escaped Barry's lips and he smiled. "It worked," he repeated, remembering it as one of the last things he said before passing out.

"Of course it did," Cadence said. "Because you have a lot of faith and that keeps you going." She took a deep breath and gently shook her head so her bangs moved from her face. "When I told you that the Assassination Bureau talked to me about wanting to get to the Reverse-Flash I thought you would've accused me of trying to betray you guys again."

Barry was silent. To be honest he did think it, right at the very beginning. How many times could someone meet up with a group that did everything in their power to get what they wanted, even sacrifice themselves for it? Then she explained how she had a long plan to put them into the Pipeline once and for all, but had to pretend she would willingly go along with whatever the Assassination Bureau wanted. Thus they could never talk about it openly and she had to pretend there was nothing she was keeping a secret.

It was a long shot that their plan would even work in the slightest; Breathtaker, Stratos, Mindboggler, and Incognito had worked hard to take over Central City before and had nearly succeeded. They were the same people that had made Cadence do a lot of their dirty work under Mindboggler's powers that made her think she was doing something else. How would they convince them that Cadence would help them again this time? It wasn't hard once they found Mindboggler could still control her, as well as knowing Cadence retained the memories over what she had done before making blackmail an easy opportunity.

"I trust you," Barry replied.

He moved to sit up in bed but Cadence firmly set him down once more. "You used up a lot of energy, Tholly. Your powers can only do so much to get you back in top shape."

For a moment Barry was confused and then he understood. The revelation their powers could work together had been a god-send. Not only were they able to come up with different means of attack that could work but it helped Cadence's healing powers, able to recharge him in a way. But it came at a price; even though she tried to hide it Barry could hear her breathing start to become ragged as she worked to heal him.

"Either that or I'm trying to keep my dream of being a doctor as alive as possible," Cadence added. "Not that I don't like working at the CCPD but it can be a little more rewarding to work with people who are actually alive."

Barry laughed and fell silent once more. He hadn't realized how much energy he used when fighting Harrison and the Assassination Bureau. Now he could rest easy for a little while, knowing they were all in the custody of STAR Labs. Especially thanks to Superman, Ronnie, Professor Stein, and Oliver. Without them Barry wasn't sure if he and Cadence could've handled everything. Even Ryder's and Brady's showing up on the ATV had helped them out. If it wasn't for all of them…

Barry gently shook his head.

No.

He couldn't think like that.

"You had the chance to take down the Reverse-Flash," he finally started to speak again. "The Assassination Bureau wanted the Reverse-Flash so they could get him out of Central City, to kill him, to do whatever they wanted. Even before we knew it was Harrison…" He opened his eyes once more and looked Cadence in the eye. "Why didn't you do it?'

Cadence looked back at him, her eyes boring into his. Barry felt comforted. There certainly was truth in people saying there were those that had a hospitable nature. Add in the fact she had a great motherly instinct as well as a warm personality—no pun intended—and he couldn't help but feel relaxed when he was around her. As Barry looked up into her face he took in the soot that settled on her cheeks—in a strange imprint after her goggles were taken off—and the slight weariness in her eyes. And yet she managed to still have a smile on his face.

She looked beautiful.

"Because, Barry, I was doing it for you," she said. "You were the one who had a good reason to take him down. To avenge your mother. They wanted me to do it for power. I partially agreed to do it so we could take down the Assassination Bureau but my job was to kill him." Her smile faded. "Now that we know that he's Harrison or that…that Harrison doesn't exist…it became harder to do what they wanted but easier to do what _you_ wanted. To get him in custody, to get some answers. I couldn't take that away from you."

Cadence brushed her hair back from her face and looked down at Barry as he nodded. Despite how tired his body had to have been—she could feel his body temperature slowly regulating as both of their powers worked to heal him—she could see determination in his eyes as well as pride. Pride that he managed to finally taken down the one thing that had haunted him for years and he was one step closer to being able to release his father from jail. No matter how many times people had told him he wouldn't be able to do it, no matter how many metahumans came his way, no matter what became an obstacle he still went after his ultimate dream.

Even as he was weakened Cadence knew he was still very strong.

He looked handsome.

"I wonder how things will change now," Barry murmured. He felt stronger now and gently pulled Cadence's hands off his cheeks. She shifted to his bedside and he looked behind her, noticing the second medical bed had been used, the sheets ruffled.

She had to have been in that bed before helping him.

"It sort of makes me afraid, I guess," He continued. "To know things are almost over."

"Life is about change, Barry. Sometimes it's painful, sometimes it's beautiful…sometimes it's both." She moved her hand down to Barry's and grabbed onto it. A few sparks shot out then calmed down as she laced her fingers between his. "But you should know I'm always going to have your back."

"And I'm always going to have yours," Barry replied. He shook his head. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"Promise?" Cadence's voice was quiet when she asked. Barry knew what she was thinking; what if something like the Assassination Bureau comes up again. What if there was something in their lives that would pit them against each other. What if they ended up on two sides of a conflict? What if, what if, what it?

Barry squeezed her hand.

"Promise."

* * *

 **A/N:** I meant to have this up yesterday but there was a lot to do and I didn't get much chance to write. But I'm glad to have finally finished it. I hope you guys liked it. There's more to come.

Anyone recognize that Lana quote? I really liked it and thought it would be a good thing to have here as a sort of joke in reference to Smallville. Plus it worked well here. So, please let me know what you think. It's no the last of Superman or Oliver's appearance in case anyone was wondering. Plus a few other characters I haven't showed in a bit.

Let me know what you think.

Cheers,

 **-Riles**


	42. A Solution

**.:42:.**

 _A Solution  
_

* * *

"And you really think they're going to show up? Captain Cold and Heat Wave?"

Barry reached up and pulled his hood off his head before turning to Cadence, who stood by his side, staring out at the empty woods in front of them. She turned to look at him and he turned his gaze to the ground. It was a risky plan but he was sure it was going to work. They were the only ones would could round up the metahumans that had gone off into Central City. He could've done it but they had moved too far too fast while he had to take down Harrison—or Eobard. He didn't have the time to go after them now not when there were so many questions that needed to be answered. Not when the angry fire inside him needed to be doused.

When he first brought up the idea to Cadence she hadn't questioned him, only stated she needed a few hours to find them. And she had been right. It took only a few hours until she tracked them down and he got a message to them to meet up later, to talk.

Now he wondered if it truly was a good idea. They were risking a lot being away from STAR Labs. But then again he had Caitlin and Cisco watching their every move just in case.

"They have to," Barry replied. He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what I'd do if they don't."

"You mean other than avoiding STAR Labs because you know Iris is there?"

Barry ignored Cadence's question. There was truth in it. As soon as he was healed he went right out to find the Rogues rather than face everyone else. He couldn't deal with it at the moment. He couldn't deal with knowing that Iris knew about his secret, couldn't' deal with having Harrison—Eobard—down in the pipeline, couldn't deal with knowing the man that had killed his mother was finally in their grasp and he had no way to go about it.

"There's just so much to deal with right now," Barry muttered in response. He continued to pace back and forth. The two waited for another five minutes and Barry ran his hands through his hair once more. "C'mon, they're not coming." He turned to leave then stopped when the distant sound of an engine revving caught his attention. He whipped around, eyes searching the clearing before him then turned to Cadence. She continued to stand still, staring out in front of her; this time, however, her eyes took on an orange glow. "Can you see anything?"

"Heat sources coming this way," she explained, pointing directly in front of her. Then she blinked and her eyes returned to their normal color. "They're on a motorcycle and coming fast."

"Cool."

It took another few minutes before the motorcycle—actually two—came into sight. Barry clenched his jaw as they stopped and the figures got off the back. His eyes shifted from Snart to Mick to Lisa, causing him to frown deeply. Lisa seemed to have noticed for she smirked and gently tightened her grip on the trigger of her golden gun.

"What? You didn't think I'd let my dear older brother leave me out in the cold did you?" She asked.

Snart briefly closed his eyes. "Yes, she can make puns as badly as I can," he commented in his slow drawl. "Did you get everything I asked for?" He asked, turning his attention to Barry. Barry stuck out his foot and kicked at the boxes that sat on the ground in front of him. "And you're sure that's everything?"

"All of your files on the CCPD database have been destroyed, and this is everything tangible," Barry explained through gritted teeth. He looked over as Mick walked over to Cadence and lifted a strand of her hair in his palm. He brought it up to his nose and sniffed loudly causing Cadence to set her hand ablaze.

The sudden onslaught of flame caused Mick to drop her hair from his hand and take a few steps back. But a manic smile was on his face as he watched the flame. She then clenched her hand into a fist and the flames extinguished, causing Mick's smile to fade into a pout. But he still stood by Cadence's side.

Snart, who watched the two with a raised eyebrow, turned back to Barry. "It's good to know that you're good for many things other than saving the city on a daily basis. You know how to keep a promise." He then tilted his head to his sister. "Lisa."

"It'll be my pleasure big brother," Lisa replied. She lifted her golden gun and aimed at the boxes.

Barry watched squinting his eyes against the harsh light, as Lisa melted the boxes with her golden gun. Now all traces of Lisa's, Snart's, and Mick's criminal history were gone. Fingerprints, dental records…as if the three of them had never existed. It was a hard deal to come up with but Barry was desperate to keep the city as safe as possible. And with Mark Mardon and some of the other metas gone missing…there was a lot of say of how safe the city could actually be. Especially when they couldn't put a lot of time into it.

"Now that we have that all figured out, let's make sure we're all agreed on some things," Snart said. "Just like our last agreement, you don't come after us. We're allowed to do what we want to do. But now with this…it'll be even harder. I'm to believe there are no more records hidden anywhere."

"We've held up our end of the deal," Cadence remarked. She crossed her arms, eyeing Mick warily. "Now you have to hold up yours."

"Don't worry, we don't like to burn our bridges," Mick growled.

Lisa rolled her eyes.

Snart ignored him.

"What will you do once you find the other metas? Barry asked. "Their lives are in as much danger as the rest of ours are."

Snart held up his hand that held his cold gun, as if he was holding his hand up like a stop sign. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got your entire spiel already. Leave it to the pros and things will go okay." Barry started to turn away but Snart's voice captured his attention once more. "And Flash…I hope one day you figure out who you can and can't trust sooner."

Barry clenched his jaw as Snart smirked at him. Lisa's matching smirk—which seemed to have be something that was passed down in their family—irritated Barry to his core. All because he knew they were right. He had trusted Harrison and now he knew he was the last person to trust. Now he was trusting Snart and Mick with everything else.

He hoped it wouldn't come back to bite him in the ass like everything else had.

Barry steeled himself as he and Cadence went back to STAR Labs. He barely made it into the cortex before he was stopped by Iris. He glanced at Cadence, who gave him a meaningful glance as she walked by to go into the cortex. He ran his hands over his face.

"Hey Barry," She greeted him. "Or should I say the Flash?"

"Iris, I know you're upset," Barry started.

"I'm past upset, Barry. I feel like a fool! I can't believe it took me so long to find out."

"How did you find out?"

Iris gave him an offended look. "I'm not stupid, Barry. Things just started to add up. You were constantly disappearing with weird excuses. You conveniently seemed to be missing whenever something went on that the Flash could handle. You couldn't explain how you met Caitlin and Cisco…that was the common link that made sense to me. What would STAR Labs be doing helping out the CCPD."

"There've been a lot of metahuman cases," Barry defended himself.

"That the regular police couldn't handle?" Iris asked. Barry started to protest and but she held up her hand. "I get it now, these guys are really dangerous. But it was just so convenient. Then there was the way you defended Flash Fire, I mean, Flare,"—she gave him a pointed look—" she badly. Almost like you were becoming personally offended about what was going on with her."

Barry licked his lips. "She's my friend, Iris. And Caitlin and Cisco…I couldn't say anything."

"It was all of that and Lois encouraging me to keep doing what I wanted to do, to show I could be an investigative reporter that had me tie everything together. Ultimately, when I watched you guys fight that gorilla is when I knew. I guess I knew subconsciously for a long time but couldn't believe that you would ever lie to me like that."

Iris's eyes flashed and Barry could see how truly hurt she was. This was what he wanted to avoid the entire time. He couldn't stand to see the look on her face, the absolutely devastated look. It haunted his dreams for as long as he didn't say anything. But as time went on it appeared he wouldn't have had to worry so much. Now he knew how wrong he was. "Iris…I can imagine how angry you are"

"I'm not angry. I'm disappointed." Her eyebrows rose and a light laugh escaped from her lips. No, not light. A sarcastic laugh. A hurt laugh. "Especially because Eddie and my dad both know. And now Dr. Wells is the man in yellow…?"

That had been the part that hurt him the most, too. "Everything he's done to help me has been a lie. He killed my mom," he said.

"Is he going to kill the rest of us?"

"No! No, we have him in our custody now. Dow in the pipeline, he's not going to hurt anyone else," Barry insisted. "I _promise_ you he's not going to hurt anyone else." He sniffed, feeling frustrated tears coming to his eyes. "You have to believe there are so many times I wanted to tell you. You were the first person I wanted to tell. Joe told me not to. He was trying to protect you. We all were."

"And maybe it's time you both stopped," Iris snapped. "Because I can take care of myself. I've _always_ been able to take care of myself. Did you ever stop to think that looping me in could have helped? Maybe that I could help you guys put them away instead of me getting in the way all the time! Do you know how much it hurt to think you were pushing me away for other people? For someone else?"

"You think I don't know that?!" Barry shouted back at her. His chest started to heave up and down with the effort of his shouting.

"And all of the times that you've put Eddie and my Dad in danger! He's just a regular cop, Barry. He's not a metahuman with super powers. He's not _you_."

"You're right. He's not me. None of this is any of their faults. It's all mine. Maybe Joe told me not to tell you that I was the Flash. But I didn't have to listen to him. I could've told you one hundred times. And I didn't. Yes, I should've. You're right to be mad."

"Then explain to me how the person I thought I knew better than anyone was keeping secrets from me." Now Iris's eyes filled with tears as well but she didn't dare let them fall. "Big, life-changing secrets. You were supposed to be my _best friend_ Barry."

"I _am_ your best friend."

"How can you say that when you kept the most important things in your life from me? You lied to me about everything!"

"I know that! But for a second if you could just stop and think about what I went through. I was in a coma for nine months, Iris. _Nine months!_ Everything moved on around me while I was lying there in STAR Labs. No one knew if I was going to make it out of there." Barry took a deep breath. Iris stayed silent, allowing him to continue. "And when I woke up I wasn't surrounded by you or Joe. I was surrounded by Caitlin and Cisco and Dr. Wells. They took care of me while I was down there and they were the ones who realized something was different when I had woken up from my coma and had my powers. I was the one that saved you from the crashing car the day that Clyde Mardon stole from the bank. I had no idea of my powers then and I still don't really know them now.

"How was I supposed to tell you what was going on when you were so busy having moved on to _someone else_?" Barry's breath caught in his throat. He had never mentioned, never gave an inkling of the feelings he had for Iris for a long time. Loving feelings. Feelings of not wanting anything to happen to her. He loved her as a person, loved her as a best friend; he didn't love her that way anymore. It was too hard. She just didn't understand. "How were you supposed to understand that I wasn't the regular Barry that I used to be anymore? I could do so much more than anyone else and despite Joe and Dr. Wells and Cisco and Caitlin knowing what I could do…I still felt alone. No one else got it. So when I met Cadence and saw she knew what it was like to be a metahuman it made it that much easier to not say anything. I felt so…fucking guilty about it but it made it easier."

Barry licked his lips once more. "So yes, Iris, I made a bad decision of not telling you what was going on. But you weren't the only one who was a victim from this as well."

He turned on his heel and walked out of the hallway, leaving Iris behind.

Iris let out a low breath, moving her hair back from her face. She turned towards the sound of footsteps coming her way and lowered her hands when Caitlin and Cadence rounded the corner. The bio-engineer had a small, disarming smile on her face, showing she had heard at least part of the conversation. Iris wouldn't have been surprised if Cadence had gotten Caitlin's attention once she had left the two to talk.

Iris smiled back.

Caitlin reached Iris and opened her arms, giving Iris a hug before stepping aside so Cadence could do the same. Iris, grateful for the hugs, held onto the girls for a long moment. "For what it's worth, Barry feels really terrible about lying to you," Caitlin said to her.

"Especially once Detective West and Eddie started to get closer to things," Cadence added.

Iris smiled and nodded.

...

..

Barry's face was one of stern fury as he walked over to Harrison's pod in the pipeline. Harrison looked back at him with an even more stoic expression. That fueled Barry's fire more than anything else. Harrison raised an eyebrow as the speedster stepped towards him.

"What? No Big Belly Burger?" Harrison taunted as he watched Barry. "I think that's the best perk that any metahuman could have while they're in here. I mean, you have to find a way to keep us sane, right? Who knows what'll happen if your captors are released, right?" Barry stared back at him.

"I guess that's not what you wanted to hear. You have some questions. I'm sorry, what is it?"

"I'm not sure where to start," Barry said honestly. "Thawne. I mean that's your name right, Eobard Thawne?"

"Since the day I was born," Harrison replied.

"And when exactly was that?"

"136 years from now, but that's not what you want to know." Harrison paused in his pacing and turned to Barry with a half smile. "So go ahead and ask me, Barry, what do you have to lose?"

Barry stared at him. He wanted to ask so badly. Wanted to know why it was that his mother had been targeted. Why Eobard hadn't had just turned back to his hometown…home life...home city…? Once he saw he couldn't take Barry down? Still the moment was there to ask and he couldn't find it in himself to do it.

"Cat got your tongue, eh? Well I guess I'll answer another question you've probably wondered for a while." Harrison stretched his arms up over his head and rested his laced hands on his neck. "The Black Flash. I bet you're wondering why it's targeting you so badly and what it is that it wanted with you and who it was. You see the point of secret identities is to keep it a secret."

"So you don't know either?" Barry asked.

Harrison slowly grinned. "No, I know. As a matter of fact it's quite obvious. You've probably looked at people around you, wondering who it is. Eddie…maybe even Ryder…that must've been hard to deal with. Looking at those two guys and wondering whose boyfriend or ex was going to screw up your life even further. Rest assured neither of them are the Black Flash because in many ways, the Black Flash doesn't exist."

 _Doesn't exist what does that mean?_ The words died on Barry's lips. He stared hard at Harrison, studying him. _He's telling the truth. He's not showing anything in his face to say he'd be lying…_ "He doesn't exist." Barry phrased it as a question to keep from showing his confusion.

"The Black Flash is a personification of death, for speedsters specifically. Once he Black Flash captures you and kills you, you return to the speed force."

"So what is it doing here?" Barry asked.

Harrison shrugged. "It may have been following you, it may have been following me. Tell me, Barry, how many times now have you seen the Black Flash? How many times have you come close to death?"

 _How many times…?_ Barry's eyes shifted to the floor. It had been many times. Most of the time when he would use his speed to the point of near exhaustion. He hadn't seen the Black Flash around lately maybe he wasn't as close to death as he had been before. _Or maybe it gave up?_

"It comes and goes as it pleases, who knows when it'll return." Resting up against the glass on his pod Harrison's eyes bore into Barry's. "Now… _ask me what you want to know_. Ask me the question, Mr. Allen!"

"Why did you kill my Mom?"

The words came flying out of his mouth as soon as Barry opened his lips once more. All of the pain and suffering he felt over the past fifteen years spilled out with that question. As he glared at Harrison the man looked back at him with his cold blue eyes.

"Because I hate you. Not you now. You years from now. You see, we're enemies, opposites, reverses, whatever vernacular you want to use it doesn't diminish the fact that I hate you." Barry's lips parted but Harrison beat him to the punch, "it doesn't matter why. Not anymore. What matters is that none of us are strong enough to defeat the other, until I learned your name Barry Allen. Then finally I knew how to defeat you once and for all; travel back in time to kill you as a child, wipe you from the face of the Earth. But then future you followed me back and we fought and you saved yourself. I was mad. But then I thought what if you were to suffer a tragedy? What if you were to suffer something so horrible and traumatic that your child self could never recover? So I killed your mother."

Barry's body started to shake with fury with each word that came from Harrison's mouth.

"Finally, I was able to return to a time without the flash. Only to realize that I lost my ability to harness the speed force and I was stuck here. I couldn't go back. The only way back was with the Flash. But the Flash was gone so I created him."

"Then why train me? Why help me?" Barry growled through gritted teeth.

"I needed you to get fast enough to rupture the space-time barrier, to make a wormhole so that I was finally able to make it home."

"And why would I help you do that?"

"Because if you give me what I want…I'm going to give you what you want. You can go back and save your mother. You can prevent your father from going to prison; you can reunite the Allen family."

Barry shook his head. His heart leapt with hope but he had to push it down. There was a big part of him that became so emotional at the thought he could make it back. But at what cost? It was like Snart said; he had to learn how to trust people. _I don't trust him,_ Barry thought. _I don't trust him as far as I can throw him. I'm not making that mistake again._ Barry clenched his hand into a fist. "No. No, I don't believe you."

"Smart boy." Harrison smirked.

"I want to kill you right now," Barr whispered.

"I want to kill you, too. And yet, I know how Henry and Joe feel when they look on you with pride…with love."

All of the emotion within Barry burst forward with enraged passion. He slammed his fist against the glass pane of Harrison's pod. His hand stung, the glass stayed in place despite the speed and strength Barry exhibited upon the barrier. "DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT TO ME!"

"I know you're upset; but I'm giving you a chance to undo all of the evil I've done." Harrison tilted his head to the side. "Don't you want that chance?"

Barry closed his eyes, turning away from Harrison. He ran a hand over his face. There was so much to think about. Going back in time to be able to let Harrison return to his time…and being able to save his mother. Was saving his mother worth letting the man that had ruined his life go? Was it worth sacrificing everything they've done over the past year and a half?

"Barry…" Barry twisted around as Joe walked his way. "Everything okay, you've been down here for a while."

Harrison snorted. "Am I to assume that you all really didn't listen to what we had to say? Not that it would matter much, there are cameras around his place, everyone is always watching. I believe you have an even bigger issue with me than anyone else." He watched as Joe crossed his arms. "Wow, arms crossed. I must _really_ be in trouble now."

"So you're saying that Barry could go back in time again?" Joe questioned. "To save Nora and to get you out of here. Out of all of our lives."

"Hypothetically," Barry reminded him.

Harrison bobbed his head back and forth. "Look, if Barry fails and I'm stuck here forever…" Harrison sucked in a sharp breath. Barry smiled a little, noticing the worried expression that quickly flashed across his face.

 _He's just as nervous as the rest of us are,_ Barry realized.

"Well, neither of us wants that. Trust me," Harrison continued.

Joe gave a wheezing laugh. "Because you're so trustworthy. Slinging that crap about your poor dead wife." His smile faded and a calm stern expression came to his face. He took a step towards Barry, gently moving in front of him so that he wasn't directly in Harrison's line of sight.

"You know, funny thing," Harrison said. He held up a finger, gently shaking it back and forth. Then he looked a little confused. "When you steal somebody's body, you also steal their thoughts, memories…steal their love. I found that I took over the love Harrison had for his family, for his daughter and grandson." He shook his head, chuckling.

Barry pressed his lips together.

"And there were days when I would get teary-eyed over Tess. A woman I had never met, mind you."

"Because you killed her."

"I thought I did. Imagine my surprise when she popped up in Central City again."

"But there are people you care about in the future," Joe remarked. "I don't think you'd be this eager, go as far as you have to get back to your time unless there are people there that you hold dear. As dear as I hold Barry and iris."

Harrison's smile faded. His façade was up once more. "I do."

"People who will be crying when you're gone. Because if anything happens to Barry no matter where or when you are, I'll hunt you down. I'll find you, and I will _kill_ you." Harrison smiled. Joe's eyes narrowed at him. "You doubt it?"

"No."

Even Barry didn't doubt it. He had never heard Joe speak so frankly before, so darkly. It was then he realized how much Joe really meant to him, how much Iris meant to him. The life that he currently had.

A horrifying thought struck him.

If he went back in time to save his mother…how much of his life would still be the same?

...

..

Cadence walked over to Oliver as he pulled his hood back up over his face. "Leaving so soon?" She asked.

"I have a lot that needs to be dealt with back in Starling City," he replied gruffly.

"With the League?" She asked.

"Something like that." Oliver cleared his throat and looked around STAR Labs. His eyes rested on Superman for a long moment and he shook his head. "That guy…I swear I've seen him somewhere before, I just can't figure out where."

"The Queens know a lot of people, 'Liver. I don't think it'd be so easy to remember each and every one." Cadence smiled a little. She reached out and grasped his shoulder. "Whatever it is that's going on with the League…if there's anyone that can stop them it's you. And you know Barry and I will be over there in a heartbeat if you ever need some help."

"I may need to take you on that offer sooner than you think," Oliver remarked. He nodded to her and left the Cortex.

Cadence turned around to find Tess slowly coming her way. Cadence then looked over at Brady, who was sitting at one of the computers, quietly looking down at his slingshot and pellets that rested in his hand. He seemed not to have put two and two together as to who Tess was in relation to him. But as Cadence studied Tess's face she could see parts of her in her clearly; her eyes, her smile…

"I'm not sure you know who I am," Tess started.

"I know exactly who you are," Cadence replied. She winced. It came out a bit ruder than she had wanted.

Tess smiled, tilting her head to the side. "Don't worry, I understand your reservations. This must be really hard for you to come to terms with. Believe me when I say it's hard for me, too," she remarked. "The last thing I knew my daughter was a young thing, just going to school and having fun on her gymnastics, swimming, soccer, and cheerleading teams and the next thing I know I'm waking up in a hospital in Coast City."

"Coast City?" Cadence repeated.

"That was the best rehabilitation center they could take me to after our accident," Tess explained. "Why? Have you heard of it?"

"No, but Brady and I have been there a few times…" Cadence trailed off. There could've been a time where they walked by Tess and didn't even know it was her. Or maybe she would've. Just by looking at her there was an obvious connection. "Just for vacations and stuff."

"Those must be pretty expensive vacations."

"Not when you can teleport."

Tess smiled once more. She took a breath and looked around the cortex. "All of that's been going on is so crazy. I always knew Harrison was destined for big things but this is bigger than I had ever imagined. But to know all of his hard work has been taken over by someone so hell bent on revenge like this…it's not what Harrison would've wanted."

Cadence stayed silent. She wasn't sure what to say in response to anything right now. How much of what she and Harrison had been through over the past year, over her life had really been Harrison and what part of it had been Eobard who was just lying to her. The last thing she wanted to know was absolutely everything in her life was a lie.

 _Well, not everything,_ Cadence thought, looking over at Tess once more. She was back in the picture and she did say she thought a lot about her. But how much of that was true now that she knew she had a grandson. She didn't seem to be bothered by it and Cadence didn't get a feeling of being shamed from her.

"Your son is beautiful," Tess added. "I bet he's a real sweetheart."

"He is for the most part," Cadence remarked. "He can be a little sensitive, too. And a pain in the ass, though I doubt I was that easy to deal with when I was a kid."

Tess smiled then nodded to Ryder. "That boy…he's the father?"

"Yes."

Tess started to say something else but was cut off by Barry and Joe as they walked into the Cortex. Barry then explained to everyone what Harrison/Eobard had told him. Professor Stein, who had split apart from Ronnie once returning to the Cortex, was the first one to react.

"You have the ability to go back in time, to right a wrong, and save your mother," he said, gesturing wildly with his hands. "That's quite the paradox that Harrison has presented you with."

"Not to mention the ramifications of what would happen if you went back but didn't save her," Cadence pointed out. She rested her hand on her hip. "Harrison, er, Eobard, would still get away. What would you do then?"

"Which is precisely why Harrison gave that ultimatum in the first place," Tess remarked. "He probably thinks Barry would go right out and do it with little to no regard to Eobard getting away."

"But this is a chance to go back and save the one you love," Caitlin said. She glanced meaningfully at Ronnie and looped her arm through his, gently grasping his hand. "That seems pretty cut and dry to me."

"Yeah, you'd have everything you'd ever worked for back, Barry." Iris nodded.

"At first blush it appears to be the best option Dr. Snow, it would appear so, but this gift has unparalleled risk," Professor Stein pointed out.

"He's right," Cisco agreed. "It's like when you traveled back in time before. We're not living in an alternate or parallel universe from that time that I…died." He swallowed hard. "But think of what happens if you could go back to save your Mom. That would erase fifteen years worth of life and…none of us would remember what happened."

"Except for Barry," Superman agreed.

Brady frowned. "You won't remember any of us?"

"If I save my mom then dad'll never go to jail, I would never live with Joe and Iris…"

Cisco cut Barry off. "You'd never meet me, or Caitlin, or Ronnie, or Cadence, or Brady."

Cadence frowned. She hadn't thought of that. She had worked with the Assassination Bureau simply so that Harrison could be captured and Barry could get the revenge he wanted. Now he had that choice but something even stronger was standing in the way. _Barry worked his whole life to save his mother's legacy; becoming a CSI so he could figure out what happened. Who wouldn't want him to do that?_ But on the other hand…there was so much else that was at stake. All of their friendships, their relationships…

"You have to do it," Joe said firmly. He shook his head for a second. "You'd get the choice to grow up with both parents. You'd get the chance not to have to grow up without a mother."

"But I'd grow up without a father," Barry said.

"You would have a father; you'd have _your_ father. Harrison Wells has messed up our lives enough but you became the Flash for a reason. And if this is that reason to do it then don't let it go to waste."

Barry ran his hand over his face. Cadence studied him. Her eyes narrowed and she walked closer to him. Barry watched her approach but didn't say anything else as her eyes shifted to orange and she looked him up and down. His heat registers let he know what she already knew and as she looked Barry in the eye he didn't look away in shame. "You already made your decision," she remarked, eyesight going back to normal. "You're going to do it."

Slowly, Barry turned to look at everyone in the room. "He explained to me how to do it. I'd need to go at mach speed, even faster, around the particle accelerator, collide with a hydrogen atom, and open up a wormhole that would give me the chance to go back in time and for Harrison to go _forward_ through time."

"Well, we're all so glad you made up your mind already," Cisco said shortly. He stood up from his seat, pushing it back so hard it crashed into the wall behind him. "Thanks for keeping us in the know. Is there anything else you'd like for us to do in the meantime?"

"He…he needs a time machine to make it through," Barry stammered. "He doesn't have the same sort of speed he used to have—"

"Say no more."

With that, the group started to disperse. While Cisco and Ronnie left the Cortex, Brady went over to Superman to ask him a bunch of questions about his powers and his suit, of which he seemed enamored of for his cape. Joe said something to Eddie and Iris and the three then left the cortex—hopefully, Cadence thought, to explain the reasons behind having kept Barry's powers a secret.

And and and and…

It was a lot for Cadence to take in. She walked over to the medical bay and sat down in an empty seat. She was glad for Barry, she really was. He had the chance to finally do what he wanted…but all of their lives would change. What was going to happen? And if Barry remembered it would anyone else remember? What did that mean for Tess? There were a lot of mixed emotions going on.

A hand gently lay on her shoulder and Cadence looked up to find Caitlin sitting in the seat across from her. "Hey, how are you holding up?"

"About what? That I've finally met my birth mother again…or knowing that within the next couple of hours it would've been like it never happened?" Cadence asked. She ran a hand over her face. "I don't think any of us are holding up very well."

"I know what you mean," Caitlin agreed. Her eyes narrowed for a second a she looked away. "Everything is happening so fast. A _lot_ has been going on lately; Barry's powers developing, your powers developing, everything we've been though together…seems like it would all be going to waste, right?" She turned back to Cadence. "And that's a selfish thought, considering we all know Barry would do anything for his mother. But we're all human, right?"

"I'm glad someone else said it but me. I don't want to be accused of being self-centered again," Cadence joked. Her laughter stopped for a second. "Actually, I'm a little more worried about Brady. He adores Barry and loves being here with you guys. I don't think it's really hit him yet. Of what will happen."

"I don't think any of us have. This is the work I've put a lot of my life into, I never thought of there being anything else I'd rather be doing. But now it's different," Caitlin said honestly. "There's more than just my life on the line."

"Exactly."

"But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to let myself continue living until it's done." With that, Caitlin held out her left hand and Cadence glanced at it. Then she did a double-take, noticing the metallic ring sitting on her finger. "Ronnie proposed when you all got back. There's nothing in my life that I want more to be than his wife and I know that now more so than before."

Cadence lifted her gaze to meet Caitlin's eye. "What about Harrison?"

A sad smile came to Caitlin's lips. "I feel like I've really lost him," she said slowly. "But also that I never really knew him. If this was Eobard the entire time…then was everything fake? Did he really have feelings for me? Did he mean any of those things he said?"

Features twisting up, Cadence leaned away from Caitlin. "Am I supposed to be hearing this?"

"I'm just saying I understand how you feel. If Dr. Wells is really in there…that's great…but he has Tess, his _wife_ whom he thought was dead. I can't…I couldn't possibly…" Caitlin trailed off. The two were silent for a moment. "If there's anything I know now it's to live in the moment. I love Ronnie and I'm always going to. And…in many ways I love Dr. Wells too. He's a big part of my life and he always will be. But not in the same way as before. It's too hard."

"Well, I'm happy for you, Cait," Cadence said, motioning to her ring. "I hope you and Ronnie are very happy together."

"I'll be even happier if you agree to be my maid of honor," Caitlin replied.

Cadence smiled and laughed. "Of course. I'll do anything just so long as I don't have to call you my step-mother." Caitlin laughed. "Though I have to admit I'm a little hurt that we aren't the ones getting married. I mean, I even had our colors picked out; a pale blue and a reddish-orange are really in with interior decoration right now, just imagine what it would've been like for a wedding theme."

Caitlin laughed again and leaned forward, embracing Cadence in a tight hug.

...

..

Barry raced after Cisco as he stormed from the Cortex towards his office; where all of his building equipment was stored. Ahead of him Barry could see Ronnie taking large strides in the same direction. It made Barry smile a little. There was so much at stake and he was still willing to help him out so easily. Too bad Cisco didn't feel quite the same way.

"Cisco slow down," Barry called after him.

"That's an ironic request coming from you," Cisco shot back. He let out a low sigh once Barry grasped his arm and turned him towards the wall, pressing him firmly against it. "Okay, so that wasn't the best one of my jokes, but I can come up with a lot of better ones."

"Come on Cisco, this is me you're talking to," Barry said. He tightened his grip on Cisco's shoulder. "I know this is hard for you to think of but you know why I have to do this."

"That's not why I'm mad, Barry, it's that…" Cisco trailed off. He turned away from Barry for a moment, running a hand through his hair. Then he turned back, eyes flashing. "It's that you're acting like we haven't become a team."

"Of course we're a team, Cisco!"

"You did a great job getting our opinions on this. Eobard says what he says to you and the next thing you know you take it at face value. How do we _really_ know he's from the future?"

"He knows too much, Cisco. And you saw that newspaper. The one where I go missing in a battle with him, the one where Iris and Eddie get married, the one where a lot of us are fighting to protect the city! You were there, you saw it."

Cisco's eyes flashed. "Yeah, I saw it alright. And I'm trying my best to figure out how he managed to get that to work. It might be a future thing but I'm sure I could get Gideon to tell me what's up."

Barry crossed his arms. "Cisco."

Cisco lowered his gaze. "I don't always like my life, Barry…there was a lot of times I wish I could change things." He smirked. "Between my golden boy brother Dante and a set of parents who didn't get me at all. And school where even the nerds hated me and that made me the biggest nerd of all." He laughed, making Barry laugh as well.

He understood that. When he was in school he was picked on so much that not even the nerds wanted to hang around him. Sure, they tried to collaborate on projects and things but Barry was a bit of a loner, Iris aside. But his parents had a lot of love for him and that made it easier to handle.

"But you know what?" The change in Cisco's tone made Barry look up at him once more. "Now…I love my life. My insane, incredible life. And I know that Dr. Wells is an evil megalo-manic but he's the only reason I met you, Barry. And you're my best friend. And I know that you have to do this. I…I want you to do this." He reached out and grabbed onto Barry's shoulders, gently shaking him. "I want you to save your family. I just wish everything else didn't have to change." His voice went quiet as he shrugged, dropping his hands from Barry's shoulders.

Barry smiled. Then he reached out and placed his hands on Cisco's face. "Cisco, listen to me. I don't know what's going to happen but I can't imagine a world in which we don't end up being friends." He smiled through his sadness. He never knew Cisco to be so open about those feelings, always excited about everything that came their way.

This wasn't so exciting.

"Don't forget even when that other timeline got erased somehow you still remembered it. We'll find each other. The universe wants us to be bros."

Cisco smiled and Barry brought him into his arms in a hug. Cisco hugged him back and for a long moment the two friends—bros—held each other, not wanting to let go due to the mysterious of what would happen once Barry went back in time. _If_ he went back in time.

"Well, if we're going to do this then I'll need to start on that time machine," Cisco said, finally pulling away. "And maybe take a picture so I don't forget. Or would that be altered too?" He turned on his heel and continued down the hallway, muttering to himself about things that would be changed within the timeline.

Reaching up, Barry ran a hand through his hair, resting it on the back of his neck. Then he turned around to find Cadence slowly walking his way. "Do you have a habit of creeping around corners?" He asked her.

"No, but Brady does now that he can just walk through walls and blend in with his surroundings," Cadence replied. She chuckled. "Trust me when I say he's _really_ excited to have those powers. He can't wait to work on them more."

"I'm glad." Barry smiled. "He fought really well. He was really brave."

"Yeah, well, I think he's really scared now. I think he thinks that Eobard is going to come after him."

"I'm thinking the same thing," Barry replied. He took a deep breath through his nose. "How're you holding up?"

"Okay, I guess. Just what everyone else is thinking. Would we still meet? Would you and I have become friends? But like with what happened with the Reverse-Flash…I can't take this opportunity away from you. To save your mom. Whatever you decide Barry, I fully support."

A sigh of relief escaped Barry's lips and his shoulders slumped. "Good. Because I can't do this alone."

"You're never alone, Barry. You've got Joe and Iris and Eddie, and Cisco and Caitlin, and Brady, and Professor Stein, and Ronnie. And you have me."

Barry smiled and reached out his arm, wrapping it around Cadence and she put her arms around his neck in a gentle hug. Then she pulled back and kissed him then hugged him again, a tear rolling down her cheek.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, there were a lot of emotions working through this chapter, especially with SnowWells (though indirectly). I do still have one other SnowWells scene that's coming up in the next chapter. There's some more of it in the next chapter and as I can see so far (depending on the lengths) there are about two or three chapters left. Once the last chapter is posted the first chapter to the third story _Fuel to the Fire_ will be up as well.

Again as I've said before, since this story was so heavy on elements from the show, the next one has more original stuff like _Flash Fire_ did. Thanks for reading and reviewing guys.

Cheers,

 **-Riles**


	43. You Can Be Your Own Hero

**.:43:.**

 _You Can Be Your Own Hero_

* * *

Caitlin took a deep breath, steeling herself before she walked down into the Pipeline. She paused at the small hallway that led to the individual pod. Glancing over at the screen that hovered over the ground, glowing bright blue across the otherwise darkened room. Finally, she reached out and moved her fingers along the screen; opening the pod.

She turned back as the doors opened to reveal Harrison sitting on the floor, legs crossed at the ankle and hands rested on his stomach. He looked up at Caitlin almost as if he expected her to be there. His eyebrows rose as he lifted his chin. "You know, I really questioned whether or not you would stop by. I figured maybe you would've been hurt enough to stay away. But then I thought long and hard about it and through the time we've worked together I should've known you'd be too smart to stay away."

Caitlin's eyes narrowed. She gently turned her head to the side, waiting for him to explain.

"You always have to get answers to everything. Things have to go a certain way for you to be happy. Some people may think you're 'uptight' which, quite honestly, is the nicest way I can say it. But that's what makes Caitlin Snow, Caitlin Snow and I should've realized that was never going to change."

Caitlin opened her mouth to ask the question that had been moving through her head once his true identity had been realized. But there had been so many things that crossed her mind all the same; most having to do with how Barry was dealing with everything. She thought of herself as well, mostly with Ronnie now having just proposed to her. But the other life that she had when starting out in STAR Labs, when she was hired, watching her research published, having more opportunities than ever before. Then watching it all blow up in her face at the exact moment the Particle Accelerator exploded.

Her career was over, but she couldn't leave STAR Labs, it was a big part of her life and she couldn't abandon that despite all of the bad press and publicity.

"Oh come on…" Harrison slowly smiled towards her, showing off his teeth. "You can't clam up on me now. Once Caitlin Snow has something to say she says. I wonder what the topic of conversation would be this time. I'm sure it's not the cold feeling of your fingertips…"

Caitlin glanced down at her fingers, wondering if they were starting to turn cold. She gently rubbed them together. No, they were still warm. She wasn't exhibiting anything that she had before. Anger and humiliation rolled through Caitlin's body.

"How dare you?" She whispered. "How dare you sit there and act like nothing happened?"

Harrison held up his finger then motioned to himself. "You seem to be forgetting that that wasn't me. It was Harrison. And from what I can tell considering we've shared the same body and existence and everything—"

"You _stole_ it from him," Caitlin snapped back.

"Borrowed," Harrison reminded her. "I borrowed it form him with the full intentions of giving it back. Thing just got away from me."

"Why?" Caitlin asked.

"I thought I already expressed this. I guess you all don't communicate with each other like I thought. I needed STAR Labs to be created sooner than it was going to so I could get back to my own time. If I ever thought Harrison would've come closer and closer to you then I would've re-thought my tactics a little bit. It's just as well, there's something about you I've found interesting myself as well.

Caitlin glared. Then she saw red. "You made me believe that this man loved me that he was the one that I was with! You made me believe there was something in life to look forward to again and continued to jerk my feelings around. I kept your secret because I trusted you."

"No, you kept my secret because you trusted _him."_

Harrison's statement made Caitlin take pause. The words crashed into her brain like hitting a brick wall. He was telling the truth. She knew nothing about Eobard but knew everything about Harrison Wells. Through late nights of working together, working on papers and research projects, working with the Flash…everything the two and Cisco and Barry had been through…it was as much of a lie as it as the truth.

"You're not angry at me, Caitlin, though I sincerely would not feel bad if you did. You're angry that you've allowed yourself to feel over and over again and you continue to have those feelings squashed. You were in love with Ronnie and he left you to protect you then you fell in love with Harrison—"

"—I—"

"—and you couldn't accept the fact that he was already too damaged for you to realistically be with. Not only that but you were holding onto the last memory you had of your time at STAR Labs where things were going great. Your star was shining to make you the leading scientist in your field and it crashed and burned. You hold as much resentment for him as much as you do for me despite the feelings that you do have for him because you want closure. The only closure I can give you is that I had absolutely nothing to do with the times that Harrison managed to overpower me and came back out. Your anger is well placed for what I've done to Barry's life but I personally have not impact you in any way."

Caitlin lowered her gaze. She shook her head. Clenched her hands into fists. Steadied her breathing. She was cool, calm, and collected. She was stronger than he gave her credit for. She sucked in a deep breath and focused on Harrison's face for a long moment and smiled.

"The way I see it," she said slowly. "You're the one who invested too much time, energy, and emotion into this place, into us…you're the one who's weak!"

Harrison's smile finally faded and a harsh glare crossed his face. He started to get to his feet and Caitlin reached over, closing his pod once more. She waited until it was firmly closed before turning on her heel and. She walked out of the pipeline with calm, confident strides, fingertips glowing bright blue.

..

.

"You can't expect me to know what's going on now and stay back here!" Iris cried as she watched Joe and Eddie gather things together to leave the West House. Once leaving STAR Labs earlier in the day things had been tense between the three. They hadn't spoken once leaving about the secret they had kept from Iris and she didn't know how to bring it up without reducing herself to tears and screaming.

Once arriving back at the West house the three went their separate ways to decompress from all of the information that was given to them. Dinner was eaten in silence and there was a bubble of tension around them waiting to break. With the phone call they just received from Professor Stein, the bubble popped into an explosion.

"It's safer if you stay here, Iris," Eddie reminded her.

"Safer?" Iris repeated. She crossed her arms. "You think staying here is safer? As opposed to what? Walking out the front door every morning?"

"You know the Reverse-Flash is capable of anything and with Barry now deciding to want to work with him he may decide to betray him more than he already has," Eddie pointed out. "And that could mean attacking the rest of us, those that are the closest to him."

"You think we don't run that risk already? You and dad are both police detectives and you put humans and metas in jail all the time. How do I know that I'm not going to be kidnapped whenever I go to work because of someone who wants to get revenge on you?" She turned to Joe, who pulled his jacket on over his gun holster. " _You_ taught me to be on my guard at every moment because of that possibility."

"That was before we knew about metahumans, baby. This is different. The Reverse-Flash has the ability to take down everyone in a room within a few seconds. I know, I've seen it. If he was able to do that then killing Nora was as easy as blinking." Joe shook his head. "No. It's not a good idea."

"Why? Because you think I'll get in the way?" Iris crossed her arms. "That's always what you're afraid of right? That I can't take care of myself and I always need to be protected, right? I don't need any of you to protect me! I can be my own hero."

"Iris—"Eddie started.

"And to make Barry think that he needed to do the same thing…he kept his secret from me, his _best friend_ all because _you_ told him to, Dad!" Ashamed, Joe looked away from his ranting daughter. "Neither of you even _thought_ that I could handle what was going on. And you know what Dad? I can't trust your or Barry anymore! I can't trust to think that you have my best interested at heart—"

"We made the decision for you, Iris," Joe interrupted.

"Exactly, _for me,_ " Iris insisted. "Not talk to me, not allow me to make up my own mind. Now I know he's had this other life that I'm not a part of."

"If it makes you feel any better I didn't know much longer than you have," Eddie mumbled, almost in a whisper as the Wests argued with each other. He grimaced and turned away as Iris and Joe both glared at him. "Yeah, I know it…it wasn't the best time to say hat. But Iris, you have to understand that it wasn't something we had the ability to tell you. It was Barry's secret to tell."

Iris closed her mouth. She could understand that. There were some things in her life that only a few people knew as well. And those were things that were important to her. But if she had powers like that…if _she_ were The Flash…she would've told everyone close to her only because she trusted them to so much. She'd trust them to keep the secret; to keep quiet about her abilities…did that mean that none of the men in her life trusted _her_ at all?

"Look, we don't have much time to sit here and argue about this when a singularity…thing is threatening to potentially destroy our city unless Barry knows what he's doing…" Joe rubbed his forehead. "We need to be there to support Barry on whatever decision he decides to make."

"The Singularity will only happen if Barry decides to go back, right?" Iris asked, trying to remember exactly what it was that Professor Stein had said. Science wasn't her best subject and she even had issues dealing with Barry trying to explain his homework to her on a good day. But she understood the city was in danger.

"Do you really think Barry wouldn't take the opportunity to save his mother?" Joe asked her.

Iris hesitated.

She really didn't know what Barry would do. On one hand she knew more than anything he wanted his mother back. But on the other he was someone who had an amazing sense of caring for other people. He wouldn't be The Flash if he didn't care. Single-handedly he saved the city and numerous people in it, taking down metahumans left and right and continued to pretend his life was normal when around everyone else. Barry hated it whenever people were worried about him and even grew to detest it in the few weeks, months, and years after his mother's death. Generally Barry was a pacifist and didn't like confrontation…

 _Now it's like he's and entirely new person,_ Iris thought.

"I don't know," She said honestly. "He wants revenge for his mother so badly…but I don't think he'd risk so many lives for it instead." She shook her head, pushing her hair back from her face. "I need to talk to him. You can't leave me behind this time."

"Iris," Eddie started again, but Joe interrupted her.

"Whatever we decide we have to go now. Or else there may to even be a Central City to come back to," Joe interrupted the two. He reached out and placed his hand on Iris's shoulder. "I'm really sorry the way things turned out but you have to understand that, as a parent, I made the decision that was the best for you and Barry. I know you're upset but we can't think about that right now. I need you to be on my side and to know that I will do anything to make sure you're safe."

Iris nodded. That wasn't on her mind at the moment. She just really needed to talk to Barry. Once the three made it to STAR Labs they waited, watched, and listened as Professor Stein, Joe, and Barry demanded some more answers out of Harrison as to the issue with the Singularity that may be presented if Barry were to go back in time. Throughout the conversation Iris shook her head, trying to come to terms with everything that had been kept secret from her, this entire world that had been hidden from her for so long.

She then watched Barry's face as he listened to Harrison explain how to keep the Singularity from forming; he could only be gone for about two minutes or else the wormhole would open up and destroy the city. She could see the fury and indecision on his face despite trying to stay strong for everyone. Her heart broke. This was her best friend who had to deal with this whole thing himself, it was his own decision and it was killing him inside.

She could see it.

Iris watched as he shook his head. Slowly at first then harder and faster. Frustrated tears filled his eyes and he left the room. Iris turned and immediately raced after him. They didn't stop until they were on the roof of STAR Labs, looking out over the city. Barry placed his hands on the railing and stretched out, keeping his head down.

Iris slowly came up beside him. She looked out over the city and smiled. "I should've known you'd come up here to get away," she remarked. "You've always liked to look at the stars. I remember so many times after Dad would go to bed you'd drag me outside with you just so you could mess with your little telescope."

Barry didn't move.

Iris continued. "I had no idea what you were looking for but I knew whatever it was you'd find it."

"I just needed some air," Barry said. "A good way to think. Just me and the stars. The best way to realize that there were more important things out there than my problems and to remind me that I wasn't really alone." He shifted his feet. "You know all those times back then I was looking to see if I could find heaven."

Startled, Iris looked over at him. She didn't know that. If she had…what would be different? Maybe she would've willingly gone out with him instead of complaining all the time. Maybe she would've been more sympathetic. If there was one thing Barry was along with being a pacifist, he was a bit secretive as well. Not on very important things, but on little things that would be embarrassing to reveal to others. How embarrassing would it be to reveal to everyone around you that you were looking for heaven despite not having any scientific proof of its existence.

Especially by that age…

Iris shook her head. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose a mother. Her mother had been out of the picture as long as she could remember so there was no one to miss, no one to grieve. It had just been her and her dad and Barry.

That was all she needed.

"Well, if there was going to be anyone who could find it, especially now, it'd be the Red Streak," Iris said. She smiled when Barry started to laugh.

"I'm glad that name never stuck," he said.

"Hey, I thought that name had pizzazz."

"You also thought the name 'Doggy' was good for a dog," Barry pointed out.

"Hey, that name was short sweet and to the point. And I she ever got lost then everyone would know I was looking for a dog. Cant' forget a name like Doggy." Iris smiled a little. "And I was still really little when I named her that, so sue me."

The two were silent for a long time, enjoying each other's company. But Iris had to know just like everyone else, what Barry's choice was.

"So are you going to do it?" She asked.

Barry shrugged. "I don't know. It's just…a huge decision o make. The biggest of my life and if I'm wrong then I can't undo it."

"Why would you want to? Being able to see your mom again, your dad…have a great career. Maybe get married. Who knows what Barry Allen would have been able to do? All I know is that you'd do so many great things because you have that amazing potential that no one else has."

"But living with you and Joe…you guys becoming my family…I've had a great life even with my parents being where they are. Even with you hating me because I didn't tell you about my secret."

Iris's eyes widened, and then her eyebrows lowered. Hurt spread through her chest. "Barry, I could never hate you. Just because I was angry that you guys all kept this secret from me doesn't mean I'm going to stop being your best friend. I've always been there for you before and I'll be there now."

"Really?

"Yes."

"Then maybe you could figure out what I can do because I have no idea. One second I have my decision made and the second…" Barry pressed his lips together, running his hand over his face. "What do you think I should do?"

Iris crossed her arms and shook her head. "For once, Barry, I think you need to stop caring about other people. I think you should do what's in your heart, for yourself. Because if you keep thinking of everyone else, if you keep wondering what _they_ want then you'll worry about what if you made _your_ decision."

Barry smiled a humorless smile. "My dad said not to do it."

"When did you see your dad?" Iris wasn't surprised that he would go see Henry to decide. Nora was t wife Henry devoted his entire life to. They were certainly in love and Iris was jealous of Barry having both parents when they were younger. Maybe she should've been more appreciative of the life she _did_ have, knowing what she knew now.

"He said everything happens for a reason and that I needed to move on. He's been in jail every since the night mom died and he's been able to move on while he's been trapped. I've been open and free and yet I'm the one who's stuck."

Iris reached out and grasped Barry's shoulders. "You're not stuck, Barry…you're just someone who has a really big heart. And know that whatever decision you make, dad and I are always… _always_ going to be your family. No matter what. "

Barry smiled another sad smile. Then he nodded and turned away. "I want to be alone right now," he said.

"Okay…"

Iris rubbed his shoulder and left him alone.

..

.

Barry stretched his arms over his head as he stood on the grass in front of STAR Labs along with Professor Stein, Ronnie, Cisco, Ryder, Brady, Joe, Eddie, and Tess. They all waited for Caitlin to make her way down to the grass to meet up with them. For probably what was going to be their last happy moment together.

There had been many good moments throughout his time as the Flash. He made and entirely new family with the friends he worked with; Caitlin and Cisco were now like his brother and sister. They had been part of his team from the very beginning and were as supportive of him as much as any family could be. They worried about him and loved him just as much as he did to them. And even when finding out that Dr. Wells wasn't who they thought he was, they stuck by his side. Even when he was in a coma they stuck by him. Cadence and Brady were as much of his family as the others. Cadence made him see there were other metahumans that wanted to help save Central City as much as he did, that there were _good_ metas out there. And she helped remind him that life moves on but it didn't mean that everything actually had to be left behind. Brady, in many ways, reminded Barry of himself when he was little; full of energy and curious about everything. (Though Barry was more of an introvert and Brady certainly was extroverted with how quickly he became friends with people).

Professor Stein was the eccentric friend who had as much passion for science as he did. He hadn't known Ronnie for long but he was someone who certainly made Caitlin happy and was a great help to Cisco in building the time machine for Harrison to get away. Then there was Joe and Iris and Eddie. His actual family. Joe and Iris didn't need to take him in when things went south with his family but they had and he felt nothing but loved because of that decision. Even Eddie, whom he had butt heads with since the very beginning he had grown to see as a good friend, not just because of his connection with Iris, but because of how dedicated he was to helping people. They shared the same values and outlooks in life…

 _I just wish I saw it sooner,_ Barry thought.

His mind continued to swirl with thoughts of his decision. He hadn't told anyone yet, despite how many times he managed to flip back and forth the more people he talked to. Letting out a low breath, Barry closed his eyes and continued to focus on the even happening in front of him.

"Did I _have_ to wear a tie?" Brady complained, tugging at the make-shift bowtie that was fastened around his neck.

"Weddings are supposed to be formal," Barry reminded him with a bit of humor in his voice.

"But _you're_ not wearing a tie."

Barry's smile widened and he turned his attention to Professor Stein and Ronnie as they bickered lightly. Ronnie stood up next to his other half fidgeting with his hands or shuffling his feet every few seconds. Professor Stein, holding a bible in his hands, looked over at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Is this actually binding?" Ronnie asked, now starting to mess with his hair.

"My father made me become a rabbi before he would send me to MIT," Professor Stein explained. "So this will be 'legit' as the kids say."

Ronnie smirked. "No kids say that."

"Kids say it all the time."

"No, they—"Ronnie turned to Brady and waved to get his attention. The young boy was still struggling with the tie that had been placed around his neck. "Do kids say 'legit' anymore?"

Brady dropped his hands from around his neck and shook his head. "No," he said dutifully.

Then Ronnie turned to Cisco, who was standing in as his best man and asked the same question, to which he got the same response. "See?"

Professor Stein rolled his eyes. "Let's not fight on our wedding day." He took a step back and his eyes shifted to the side, prompting the others to follow his gaze. Barry turned and watched as Caitlin walked down the makeshift aisle that had been created by her friends flanking two different sides of the grass. She held a bouquet of flowers tightly in her hands, left arm looped through Cadence's right one as she walked at her side.

How Caitlin was able to get a wedding dress so quickly—enough so that Barry didn't have to run to get it—confused him at first. But then he remembered they had been engaged for a long time and she probably had her dress sitting in her office at STAR Labs if not back at her apartment. Nevertheless, she certainly looked beautiful, as did Cadence who had pulled her hair back into a chignon—and not a 'plain ol' bun' as Ryder stated, causing Iris to give him a crash course on different hairstyles—with flowers strewn in her hair.

Ronnie and Caitlin smiled nervously as they faced each other.

"If it's alright with everyone I'd like to skip the Hebrew," Professor Stein said once they reached each other. He closed his Bible and held it against his front. "If there's one thing I've learned about merging my life with someone else's this past year, with all the incredible advancements of science that we've become accustomed to, the mystery that brings two people together in love is still the province of magic. And I don't know anyone who is as much like magic as these two are together." He cleared his throat and turned to Cisco asking, "the rings, please?"

Cisco nodded. Then he made a big show of presenting the rings out to Caitlin and Ronnie as he knelt down on one knee and held his hands out towards them lowering his head as if they were too beautiful to look at directly. Caitlin giggled as he took a ring from his palm then turned to Cadence, handing her the bouquet of flowers.

Ronnie and Caitlin slid their rings onto each other's fingers and Ronnie grimaced when he spotted the cheap ring he placed on his new wife's finger. "I should get you a better one," he apologized.

"I don't need a better ring," Caitlin denied. She shook her head. "I have everything and everyone that I could ever need right here. And if all the events of the past year have led us to this moment then it was worth it. I love you, Ronnie."

"I know pronounce you husband and wife," Professor Stein declared with a bright smile. He took a step back, as if afraid that being so close to the young couple would cause him to merge with Ronnie once more. "You may kiss the bride."

Barry smiled and clapped along with his friends as Ronnie and Caitlin finally became man and wife. Being able to witness the event after the past couple of days was what he really needed. Not only was he happy for Caitlin but it made him figure out what he was going to do.

A couple hours later Barry and Cadence got dressed into their suits and released Harrison from his pod in the Pipeline. Barry went down the line of his friends and family, giving each of them a hug as he came to them. It was hard to do it, each of his friends looked at him with sadness in their eyes but grudging respect of what he was going to do. Brady held tightly onto his waist until Ryder had to forcibly make him let go. The hardest was when he came to Joe, the man that had taken him into his home without a second thought.

Barry gazed at him for a long moment then reached out his hand, placing it on Joe's shoulder. He squeezed it tightly. "Goodbye, dad," he whispered.

Joe smiled back, tears falling down his cheeks. "Goodbye, son," he replied.

Barry nodded and looked over at Cadence, who nodded back. "Protect these guys in case something goes wrong," he said.

"You can trust me," she replied.

"I know I can." Barry reached over and gave her another hug. _I just hope everything goes according to plan._

He pulled his mask over his eyes and stepped down into the cavernous Particle Accelerator. He looked around then turned, leveling his gaze with Harrison. Harrison looked back at him with an air of malice in his eyes. Still, he nodded in encouragement for Barry as well.

Barry nodded back and started to run fast, faster than he ever had before. Round and around he went through the Particle Accelerator. Everything around him flashed by in a blur until it was just a swirl of bright and dark colors. Finally, something opened up in front of him and he charged right through it.

Once he was gone, Cisco and Joe took the time machine that Cisco finished building and brought it to the area that Barry had just been. With his gun drawn, Joe watched as Harrison got into his suit and climbed into the time machine. He exchanged a glance with Cisco, the two calming backing away as the machine started up.

There was a low, metal scraping sound and a small metal helmet with yellow wings skidded across the ground. "What is that?" Cisco asked, looking down at it.

"My cue to leave," Harrison replied from the seat of his time machine.

"You only have thirty seconds left if you want to get home before the wormhole closes," Professor Stein's voice broadcasted through the pipeline.

Harrison nodded and started to raise the time machine from the floor. Cisco walked over to the helmet. Just as he reached out to pick it up there was a bright flash of light and a surge of energy from behind him that sent him and Joe flying through the air amongst a shower of glass. Startled, Cisco turned over to find Barry had returned from the wormhole and crashed into the face of the time machine with a supersonic punch that blasted the time machine apart.

The seconds continued to tick by.

"We have to close the worm hole!" Professor Stein cried.

Cisco looked over at Barry as he rolled onto his side. Harrison got back to his knees and glared at Barry. "You didn't save her," he said. "Why? You could've had everything you wanted!"

Barry smiled weakly. "I already do." He looked up, higher than Harrison's forehead, and winked.

Harrison reached up and pulled on his hood, starting to shake with fury. Cisco watched the two, eyes wide, mouth dropped open as he tightly held onto the helmet in front of him. Joe continued to lay on the ground near him, groaning lightly, still alive. Barry hadn't saved his mother, even when he had the chance…

"Not for long," Harrison growled.

There was a sudden blinding light that erupted in front of Harrison's face, causing Cisco to turn away, shielding his face. As the light continued to strobe, he managed to glance through his fingers and see Harrison had turned away under the assault on his senses as well. Then Cisco lifted his gaze to find the source of the explosion and found Brady kneeling on a catwalk high above their heads; staring intently at them.

Then he backed up a step and phased through the bottom of the catwalk and fell to the ground below, landing in a crouch but still hidden in the shadows.

Harrison was then struck in the back by a blaze of fire that took Cisco a second to realize Cadence had projected herself forward with her fire power to crash into him. As he flew forward she teleported in front of him and grabbed him by the neck, arching him around and threw him hard to the ground on his back before sending beams of heat from her eyes onto him.

Harrison thrashed back and forth before he phased out of her grasp and stood behind her. "You don't understand…if you destroy me…you destroy your father."

"I'd rather have him destroyed than have you continue to use his name and body in vain," Cadence responded.

Her eyes started to flicker with flames, the ones around her hands growing bigger by the second. She threw a powerful blast of fire toward Harrison which he dodged. The fire struck a metal beam behind it, immediately turning it into molten lava. Undeterred, Cadence punched hard on the ground and it opened, allowing a wave of fire to rush out and shoot towards Harrison once more before she exploded in a blast of flames.

Cisco watched in awe.

He hadn't ever seen her have so much control over her powers before.

One hit managed to slow Harrison down for a moment before he dodged the hit and struck her hard in the chest, knocking her backwards. Barry then raced forward and crashed into Harrison. They shot back and forth across the pipeline in streaks of lightning, moving faster than the eye could see. Cisco's head whipped back and forth as he watched the two race around, punching and throwing each other, only looking up when the room started to shake.

"What's going on?" Joe groaned from Cisco's side.

Cisco immediately dumped the helmet aside and helped Joe to his feet. "Looks like they weren't able to close up the wormhole," Cisco remarked. "And if they can't do that…then all of us in here…" Joe's eyes widened as the realization of what Cisco said reached him.

He turned and watched as Barry and Harrison continued their entangled battle with Cadence jumped in to help at numerous times. It certainly was a sight to see; Barry had gotten much stronger than he had been when first starting out as the Flash and since having the block on her powers taken off Cadence was showing off immense strength and new powers as well. He couldn't remember a time where she had been able to teleport with flames surrounding her body to protect her as well.

Finally, Harrison got the upper hand and knocked Cadence away from him before sending a sickeningly strong punch to Barry's chest that forced him up against a wall. "Barry!" Cisco called.

"Is he going to be okay?" Brady asked as he hurried over to Joe's and Cisco's side.

"He has to be," Joe murmured. He watched as Barry struggled to get himself off the wall behind him but was struck in the chest, making him fall once more. Then Harrison stood over him, hand around his neck. Barry reached up with his hands to pull him off but found himself too weak to do so.

Cadence flung fireballs towards Harrison but he shifted his hand back and forth, deflecting her fire blasts into the wall and ceiling.

Harrison brought his face closer to Barry. "Just so we're clear after I kill you I'm going to kill them and I'm going to kill your father." He brought a vibrating hand high over his head. "I always win, Flash!" He started to bring his hand down, only stopping when he heard the sound of a gunshot.

Everyone froze.

Cisco turned towards the sound of the shot and his eyes widened when he saw Eddie fall to his knees, dropping the gun in his hand. "Eddie!" Joe shouted. He got to his feet and raced over to his fallen partner. Startled, Cisco looked back over at Harrison to find his eyes widened as he fell to his knees to. A strangled gasp came from Harrison's mouth as he started to shake.

"What…what's going on?" Barry managed to gasp, spitting bloody out onto the ground.

Cisco pressed a hand to his forehead in thought. "He's from the future…he's Eddie's ancestor and if Eddie doesn't exist then…neither does he. He's being erased from time. From existence." Cisco's eyes then widened when he realized Harrison's face was starting to change. It slowly morphed from that of Harrison Wells to an older blond man he had never seen before.

Then there was a suddenly flurry of commotion with Iris racing into the pipeline over to Eddie, her anguished screams combining with Harrison's, his body starting to break apart. But as he started to wither away, parts of his body coming apart he glowed a bright white-blue light. Just as Eobard completely disappeared, complete with an angry snarl, a body was left in its place.

The body groaned and started to push itself up, lifting his head to reveal Harrison.

"What the what?" Cisco whispered. He brought his hands up to his head. It was starting to hurt. _Eobard had taken over Dr. Well's body so that he could pretend he was Dr. Wells and start up the creation of the Particle Accelerator faster. And with that he created the Flash. Now that Eddie has…now that Eobard is gone it's released the real Dr. Wells from his body. _

Before he had a chance to announce his findings another wormhole opened up at the end of the corridor, starting to suck things into its vortex. "Guys, we have to get out of here." He said.

But Iris continued to grasp onto Eddie's shoulders, leaning over him as her body wracked with sobs. Eddie, still clinging onto life, reached up and gently caressed Iris's face in return. "I hope you're not…still mad at me," he managed to whisper. Iris gulped loudly, shaking her head.

"I'm n-not," she hiccupped. "I'm not mad at you. I love you, Eddie. I love you, so much." She squeezed her eyes shut and two fat tear drops landed on his cheeks. "Why did you do this?"

"I couldn't stand the thought of him hurting anyone else. I couldn't risk it. There needed to be a way to stop…stop him." He closed his eyes, breathing hard. His hand gently fell from her cheek. "I just hope…I made you p-proud…" He turned his head away and faced Barry, who watched him with wide eyes. Eddie managed and nod.

Barry nodded back.

The peaceful smile froze on Eddie's face as his eyes glazed over and his body became still.

"NO!" Iris screamed. She grabbed onto Eddie's shirt, holding onto him as if her own life depended on it. "Eddie! Come back! Please! Come back to me. I'm sorry!" She leaned forward and placed her face against his chest, ignoring the blood from his gunshot wound. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She whispered it over and over again while stroking his hair.

Cisco covered his face with his arms as the wind started to blow harder, bringing in tiny pieces of the broken time machine into its swirling vortex. He then unshielded his eyes and watched it in horror as it started to grow.

"That's not good!" Cisco called.

"We have to get out of here!" Barry called. "The wormhole is reopening." He struggled to his feet, holding to his side. Cadence hurried over and ducked her head under his arm, hauling him to his feet. Then the two turned towards Harrison as he continued to struggle to get to his feet. "Are you okay to walk?" He asked.

Harrison nodded, pushing his clear glasses up his nose. He ducked his head as the wormhole started to increase in size. The group started to turn away from the wormhole, heading towards the opening of the pipeline. Cisco suddenly felt something hit his side and he looked over to see Brady sprinting towards Eddie's body as it started to slide towards the wormhole.

"Brady!" Joe tried to grab him but missed as the young boy dodged out of his way.

"NO!" Cadence shouted after her son. "BRADY! NO! STOP!" Barry grabbed onto Cadence and started to lift her up into his arms. "No! Brady! No!" She watched as Brady leapt atop of Eddie's body as it was sucked into the air and further into the wormhole. "NO!" She started to twist back and forth. "Let go! Barry, let _go_!"

"I'm sorry, Cade," Barry said, holding tightly onto her. "We have to go." With that, he took the kicking and screaming metahuman out of STAR Labs as quick a lightning.

The group headed outside STAR Labs to find the sky darkened with a large vortex swirling upwards. The strong pull from the vortex started to suck in the tallest buildings in its wake. Cars lifted off the ground and shot up into the air, sucked into the center of the vortex. Barry looked over as an emergency exit door to STAR Labs opened and Ronnie, Professor Stein, Tess, Ryder, and Caitlin all spilled out into the area as well, their eyes widened when they spotted Harrison.

"Tess?" He asked.

"Harrison!" She hurried and grabbed onto him in a tight hug.

All around them the strength of the winds continued to increase, sucking in even more debris as it went. Barry blinked hard, hoping that some of what he was seeing wasn't innocent people getting hurt. His heart rammed against his chest as his eyes moved back and forth from one thing to the other, trying to find anything that'd give them a solution to stop it.

He swallowed hard and lowered his gaze to the ground just as Brady slowly phased up from the concrete by his feet, still holding onto Eddie's lifeless body. Even before he was fully out of the ground Cadence and Ryder both grabbed onto him and held him tightly. Barry watched them then looked at his friend's faces as they watched the singularity continue to form, becoming stronger by the second.

He slowly turned back around. Then he wiped blood off his cheeks and chin and reached up, pulling his mask up over his face. He started to move forward but Joe grabbed onto his arm.

"You can't stop that!" Joe cried.

Barry gently moved Joe's hand off his arm. "I have to try," he said.

He took a few deep breaths, looking over at his friends once more then back at the singularity. He started to step forward but felt a hand move into his. Startled, Barry looked over to find Cadence standing next to him, tightly holding his hand. Then she dropped his hand and reached up to pull her goggles on over her eyes.

At the same time the two raced into the center of the vortex.

* * *

 **A/N:** This chapter was originally longer with more added to the scene with Caitlin's wedding, but I had to take it out because it dragged things on a bit. I'll post it as a separate one-shot/deleted scene soon. So after everything that's happened there's one chapter left. There was going to be two more after this one but things progressed this way.

That being said, some storylines from this story will carry over into the next story. I knew that was going to happen with some of them as soon as the story started and I mapped a few things out. So let me know what you guys think.

 **-Riles**


	44. Epilogue

**.:44:.**

 _Epilogue_

* * *

"Mom, can we go now? I don't like being here."

Cadence set her plate of food aside and glanced around the crowded room for moment. The CCPD Precinct had been filled to the brim since Eddie Thawne's funeral earlier that morning. The entirety of the officers and detectives within the CCPD showed up in their dress blues and sent him off with a salute. The funeral had been as nice as funerals can be; his family showed up and thanked everyone from Central City that had been a family to him and for the city in general for taking him in with open arms. Many people spoke; Captain Singh, Iris, Joe, and anyone else who had a story or some other anecdote to share.

Then as his body was laid to rest and flowers were tossed down into his gave there were a few people who started to cry. Eddie's mother certainly was distraught over losing her son despite how proud she was of him as well. Mr. Thawne stood firm, holding his wife up as he blinked back his own tears, wanting to stay strong for his own son. But it was difficult going to a funeral for a fallen friend and knowing the _real_ reason why he was gone rather than what the public knew. Throughout the funeral she and the rest of Team Flash continued to glance at each other when certain things were said, having to bite back their own anger and sadness.

Now Cadence sighed and reached out, running her hands through Brady's hair as he rested his head in her lap. "What's wrong, bud?"

"I'm sad that Eddie's gone," Brady said honestly. "I liked Eddie. He was funny. He kept me from being bored when I waited for you at work."

Cadence's eyebrows rose and she leaned forward to look down at him. "I didn't know that."

Brady nodded. "And when we went shopping in Starling City, when we went to help Oliver with Captain Boomerang. That was fun." He reached up and wiped at his eyes.

"I didn't know him that well," Cadence admitted. She laughed a little. "Unless you count when we were arguing over who was going to drive to Starling City and what directions we were going to follow. And a few times when working together. But I was too caught up in what was going on with Reverse-Flash and stuff that I never really took the time to. I wish I did."

Brady made a humming sound and closed his eyes again.

Gently rubbing his back, Cadence looked around the precinct once more. Though there were a lot of people that had cleared out as time went on, the floor was still crowded. She could see Iris and Joe talking to some of the other officers—there certainly was truth in the fact that a precinct was like family—Caitlin and Cisco were standing off to the side, talking quietly to each other and other officers that came around. Harrison and Tess weren't in attendance, Ryder had shown up for the funeral then had left at the reception—stating he didn't feel so comfortable having not knowing Eddie much other than his last few days and Lois, despite having gotten close to Iris, had left after the funeral stating she had been to enough funerals in her life.

"Besides, my husband and I have to get back to work," Lois said apologetically as she bid goodbye to everyone. She then reached to her side and gently grasped a spectacled man's arm. "Clark, this is Iris and her friends. Iris this is my husband Clark Kent."

"Hi," Iris said with a small smile. She reached out to shake Clark's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"I wish it was under better circumstances," Clark replied, shaking her hand as well. He reached up and shifted his glasses so they adjusted accordingly on his face. "I'm sorry for your loss though I've heard he was a brave man." There was a strange twinkle in his eye as he said so, almost much like a knowing look.

"Very brave," Iris agreed after a long second of looking at him. "I'm really proud of him."

"Let me know if there's anything Clark or I can do," Lois said. She handed Iris a card then leaned forward to give her a hug. "Even if you just need to talk, I always have the time. Even when I'm at work I want something to break things up a bit."

"Lois," Clark said in a warning tone.

"Oh come on, Smallville, even you know I can multi-task like no one's business," Lois said. Iris laughed and hugged Lois tighter before taking a step back. "I wish we were leaving on better terms."

"The city just needs to be rebuilt; we haven't lost a lot…" Caitlin said quietly. "I think it's the best terms we can get."

"Considering the alternative," Cisco added. "Thank you for all of your help."

"I'll tell Ryder you had to go," Cadence said to Clark. "I don't think he even knew you were coming."

"Well, it was a last minute thing as you can imagine," Clark said slowly, that twinkle in his eye growing. "But like I said to Iris before I wish it was under better terms. I was actually in the city for a few day with a report Lois and I were working on together."

"A report?" Iris asked.

"There have been many instances of unusual attacks on Metropolis for as long as we can remember and hearing there were instances of the same attacks going on here it was our job to come in and do some reports to see if there was a link between them," Lois explained. "But we had to be as secretive as possible to keep from causing a widespread panic."

"I understand that," Iris said.

 _Mostly because there'd been enough panic over the last couple of days,_ Cadence thought. Which was certainly true. Central City has been put into a state of emergency, emergency personnel (fire, police, emts) were working around the clock to get people to safety and to start rebuilding. It would take a while before it would return to the great city they had known it to be.

But looking at everyone now it appeared they were ready to work hard to do that.

Finally, Cadence spotted Barry sitting at the top of the stairs, watching everyone below him and she realized she hadn't seen him all day. Since Eddie's death and what happened with the singularity he had kept away from everyone. If he had been at the funeral he stayed back, hidden somewhere because she couldn't believe he would miss it entirely. And he had been putting in long hours to start to rebuild Central City as she had seen on the news where the general public praised him for saving the city as well as for helping buildings that were previously destroyed to be completely fixed by the next morning.

And yet, he ignored phone calls and didn't return messages and Cadence completely understood why despite how much it was hurting everyone else.

"Hey, bud, I'll be back in a second and then we can leave," Cadence said, patting his back. "I'll just be a few minutes, okay?" Brady nodded as he sat up from his mother lap. He shrank in on himself in his chair, gently kicking his legs back and forth as he looked around, almost as if waiting for another metahuman to go bursting through the ceiling.

Smoothing down the back of her black dress, Cadence walked towards the women's restroom, looking around to be sure she wasn't watched before teleporting to where Barry was. He jerked in surprise, noticing that she suddenly appeared at his side, then shifted aside so she had space on the step next to him.

"You've been really MIA lately," Cadence remarked, gently lowering herself down lest she slipped and went tumbling down the stairs. "We've all been trying to reach you."

"Yeah, I know," Barry said. He sniffed and pushed the sleeves of his dress shirt up to his elbows. Then he leaned forward and rested his arms on his upraised knees. "I've just been busy, you know? I want to have Central City fixed as soon as possible."

"You mean so everyone can forget what happened," Cadence said.

Barry was quiet for a long minute. He pressed his lips together, his eyebrows furrowed, and he frowned. Then he shook his head and ran his hand over his hair. "Not to make them forget. I just want them to move on. To get better."

"Then if you're not trying to help the city move on then you're trying to help yourself." Cadence waited for Barry's response. He turned further away from her. "I know you're probably thinking about your mom." She felt her heart hurt when Barry closed his eyes and brought his hand up to cover them. "I know it hurts that I bring her up, but this is nothing you could've stopped because this was what Eddie wanted to do."

"It's not just Eddie, its Ronnie too," Barry finally said. He continued to keep his eyes closed as he spoke. "It's everything. I do as much as I can, I work hard to make people believe in me…and everyone around me keeps getting hurt. I don't know if I can take it anymore."

"You're not alone in this Barry. Joe and Iris and Caitlin and Cisco and me…we're all here to help. That's the point of being a team." She reached out her hand to place on his shoulder but he pulled away. Her heart hurt even worse now but for the same reasons he had listed. "We're all grieving right now and we're grieving together. It hurts to see you pulling away like this."

"It's the best thing to do. For me. I need time. I can't…" he took a deep breath. "I can't look around and see all of the destruction and not think about everything I could've done different…better! And you and I both know I wasn't the one to save Central City and yet I'm the one that's having all of this praise…"

"Because you're a hero, Barry."

Barry shook his head. Finally, he lowered his hand from his eyes and looked at her seriously. "I'm not a hero," he said firmly. "I'm not the one who saved Central City and I shouldn't be treated like I am."

Cadence nodded.

He made up his mind and that wasn't going to be changed so easily. No one was going to be changed so easily after what they had seen and gone through. Having been in the middle of the fight she knew how Barry felt and she continued to feel helpless not knowing how to help him. Much like when he was fighting the Reverse-Flash for the last time, before he had been defeated; Barry insisted that she and Brady have little to do with the fight knowing how hard it was going to be as it was Harrison's face and memories she would be fighting against.

Against her better judgment she listened to what he had to say, knowing he was doing his best to keep from any more emotional damage to come her way. In the end he had made the right decision, but at a cost he hadn't seen coming.

She wasn't going to change his mind.

"You know I'm here if you need anything," she said finally.

"I know. Thank you." Barry leaned over and gave Cadence a gentle kiss on the cheek. Then he got up and raced out of the precinct with a gust of wind.

Cadence watched him leave and hoped it wasn't the last she'd see of The Flash.

* * *

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** Whew, it's over guys! I hope you really liked it. I do have to go back through _Flash Fire_ and this story to edit some things. Especially _Flash Fire_ as I have to make things needing to be fixed so things make more sense story wise, plus I need to re-work the first chapter. Anyway, now that this story is over go check out the sequel to this story, _Fuel to the Fire_ which is now up _And_ I've also got the next chapter to _When We Collide, Sparks Fly_ being updated this week as well, so it is definitely a Flash day for me!

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed and favorite and alerted the story. There had been many times where I contemplated not finishing it as well as long bouts of writer's block or lack of motivation that really stumped me. So thanks for sticking with me for so long as well as thanks for continuing to stick with me on the next one.

It really does mean a lot to me.

 **-Riles**


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